asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and the Colonies how many places under the official scheme for providing hostels for overseas students have been provided for students at local authority technical colleges.

The allocation of places under the Overseas Students Welfare Expansion Programme is based on the individual needs of students, not on the type of course which they are studying. The figures for which the hon. Gentleman asks are not, therefore, available. But I can assure him that students at local authority technical colleges are treated in the same way as all other students.

Is it not essential, if we are to play our part in the development and expansion of the economies of the under-developed countries, that we should give places in our technical colleges and hostel accommodation so that we can help to produce technicians of the grade necessary for the development of these territories?

I entirely agree about the importance which we attach to this. Hence, the expansion of the hostel programme to which I have referred. I assure the hon. Gentleman also that technical college students are regarded as a very important group in this connection.

Mrs. Slater:

Does not the hon. Gentleman know that provision of this kind is time and time again being cut out of local authority building programmes because it is considered not very important, although it is almost impossible to find accommodation for these people, particularly in many of our large towns? Will he have further consultations with the Ministry of Education to see how provision of this kind could be speeded up?

I am always ready to consider any suggestions such as the one the hon. Lady makes, and I shall certainly look at any possible improvements which might be made, in conjunction with my hon. Friend at the Ministry of Education.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that local authorities which have wished to take advantage of the scheme in order to provide hostel accommodation for overseas students at their technical colleges have had their plans turned down by the Government?

The point about the rules for the hostel programme, the O.S.W.E.P. scheme as it was explained to Parliament, was that one condition should be the provision of a certain proportion of the funds from voluntary organisations. If that condition were to be fulfilled through the local authorities, then, perhaps, one might be able to give help under this scheme to students at technical colleges.