asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in reviewing the grants payable to students at Home Office training courses, his Department will regard these courses as entitling a student to a grant without parental means test, as is done for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research or Ministry of Education state studentships.

Grants to child care and probation students are based upon the Minister of Education's University and Other Award Regulations, 1962, and are exactly the same as for other students taking professional training. I do not know of any grounds for treating child care and probation students exceptionally.

Will the right hon. Gentleman have another look at this? Is he not aware that many of the people engaged in these extremely important studies, which are essential to the welfare of children, and on probation work, are mostly over the age of 21? How can he expect them to be maintained by their parents? As the parents cannot be compelled to maintain them in the legal sense, how does he expect those concerned to be able to carry on their studies if the income of their parents has to be taken into consideration in this way?

There is no shortage of candidates. The number of probation students in training is now almost twice as many as in 1961, and the number of child care students nearly three times as many.

Does the right hon. Gentleman make this imposition upon them because of that? Is not that a scandalous argument?

These are perfectly reasonable regulations, and probation and child care students are treated in almost exactly the same way as teachers in training.