§ Sir F. Grahamasked the Minister of Education whether, following his meeting with the responsible organisations, he is now in a position to make a statement about the Ashby Report.
§ Sir D. EcclesYes. This is a most valuable Report and I am able to agree to almost all its recommendations. My main reservation is with respect to the proposal that I should attempt, with the help of an advisory committee, to establish priorities in the matter of subjects taught. In this respect I prefer to leave the bodies free, as they have been hitherto, to decide the subject matter of their courses for themselves within the field of liberal studies.
I hope to make available increased grants for carrying out certain of the recommendations in the Report, notably those proposing higher salaries and fees for certain lecturers. I have also told the organisations that I hope to provide grants for a strictly limited expansion of their work from next autumn in a few areas which have special claim for some additional help. But I have told them that I expect some further contribution towards the increased cost of this service, whether in the form of higher fees from students where these are still unreasonably low, or in other ways.