§ 61. Mr. Swinglerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in HANSARD his estimates of the number of children staying at school beyond the 86W statutory leaving age, the number of university places available, and the ratio between the two, for each of the next five years; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the chances of gaining a university education increase.
§ Sir E. BoyleThe total of 17-year-olds in maintained schools, in January, 1959, for England and Wales, and in January, 1960, for Scotland where university entry is normally a year earlier, was 63,600; not all of these will stay on till university age. It is estimated that the comparable total five years later will be 110,100. The university student population in the academic year which has just begun is 106,000. The present university building programmes are related to a student population of 124,000 by the mid-1960's, or 135,000 with some overcrowding; year by year estimates cannot be provided. The question of further university expansion is under consideration.