Commander Maitlandasked the First Lord of the Admiralty to give further details of the scholarship scheme, the introduction of which was announced on 9th March last.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasArrangements have now been made for the first scholarships to be awarded in May, 1955, and the Regulations for the scheme are about to be published. Up to 75 scholarships will be awarded annually to boys aged about 16 to enable them to remain at their own schools until they are able to enter the Royal Navy or Royal Marines at about 18. In addition to the 75 paid scholarships up to 15 honorary scholarships may be awarded to boys whose parents' income is too high for the grant of financial assistance. All scholarship holders will be guaranteed places at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, or at the Officers' School, Royal Marines, provided they satisfy the educational conditions of the scheme and remain medically fit.100W also gives a comparison of the change in the purchasing power of the £ as measured by this index with the change as measured by the interim index over the years for which both indices are available.
Scholarships will be awarded on the results of interviews and selection tests, without a formal written examination. Candidates will first appear before preliminary boards held in a number of regional centres, and these boards will recommend which boys should go before the Admiralty interview board at Dartmouth.