§ 110. Mr. Pearsonasked the Minister of Agriculture the present overall picture of the increased facilities provided by county education committees in Wales and Monmouthshire for farming students; and if he will make an overall plan for each institute to specialise in one branch so as to avoid overlapping.
§ Sir T. DugdaleBoth the Caernarvonshire and Carmarthenshire Education Committees have opened new agricultural institutes this autumn. The Flintshire Committee is building a horticultural in- stitute which will be ready next summer. The Denbighshire Committee has bought a house which will be used as an additional hostel for its present institute. When completed, these additional facilities will enable farm institutes in Wales and Monmouthshire to take 300 students compared with 200 last year. In addition, the Glamorgan Education Committee has opened a centre for part-time agricultural education this autumn, and the Cardiganshire Committee will open a similar centre in January.
I hope that the new institutes in Caernarvonshire and Carmarthenshire and the existing ones in Denbighshire and Monmouthshire will each continue to give a course in general agriculture for 94W men and a course including rural domestic economy for women. Advanced and specialised courses are also needed, and care will be taken to avoid overlapping. The Monmouthshire Institute is already providing specialised courses in poultry husbandry and in horticulture. The new Flintshire institute will provide a specialised course in horticulture for students from North Wales. The county education committees are considering what provision should be made for other subjects in consultation with the Welsh Joint Education Committee and my Department, and I am confident that a satisfactory arrangement will be worked out.