APPLICANTS FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL PLACES

HL Deb 05 March 1964 vol 256 cc317-8WA

BARONESS HORSBRUGH

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is correct that as stated by Lord Taylor on January 22, 1964, there were 30 male applicants and 200 female applicants, properly qualified for each place in our medical schools in 1963.

THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH)

No. One thousand, seven hundred and twenty-four men and 552 women began pre-clinical courses at universities in Great Britain last October. Were the number of applicants as suggested, there would have been, therefore, 51,720 male applicants and 110,400 female applicants for these places. 'This is substantially in excess of the total output in Great Britain in 1963 of students with the minimum academic qualifications in any subjects for entrance to a university, which was of the order of 34,000 men and 20,250 women; the great majority of these of course never contemplated taking a medical course.