§ 51. Mr. M. MacPhersonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now give details of his plans for the establishment of a technological university.
§ 58. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the establishment of a university college of technology.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAfter consulting the University Grants Committee, the Government propose to put further resources at the disposal of the University of London for the purpose of major expansion of the Imperial College of Science and Technology. There are now some 1,650 full-time students at the College, and the aim will be to raise this number to 3,000 during the academic quinquennium 1957–62.
It is desirable that the work of Imperial College shall be so co-ordinated with that of other schools of the University that full advantage can be taken of the whole of the resources of the University. For this reason, and in order that the current work of the College may be disturbed as little as possible, my right hon. Friend is advised that the expansion should take place around the existing site of the College in South Kensington. The College buildings are in or near the area lying between Prince Consort Road and Imperial Institute Road. My right hon. Friend has invited the College to submit plans based on the assumption that the College will be regarded as having first claim on other parts of that area as it becomes possible to release them from 136W their present uses. The phasing of these plans will, of course, require very careful consideration in consultation with the other interests affected.
This development of Imperial College will be in pursuance of the policy already announced by the Government of building up at least one institution of university rank devoted predominantly to the teaching and study of the various forms of higher technology. The Government propose, in addition to this development of Imperial College, to make resources available for further developments in other parts of the country, and my right hon. Friend has asked the University Grants Committee to advise him where such further resources might most usefully be deployed. These projects will be additional to the substantial developments of higher technological education which are already in progress in different parts of the country.