I do not want to take part in the general discussion, because I myself was a member of the Royal Commission, and this is a matter which the Oxford members of the Commission thought it right to leave to the judgment of their Cambridge colleagues. I wish to ask the Minister for Education before we vote on this matter to give us an authoritative statement as to the effect of this Amendment. It is a matter of the greatest importance that we should understand what that effect will be. I would call the attention of the Mover and supporters of the Amendment to a certain doubt which suggests itself as to the effect of the Amendment. By Clause 6 of the Bill the Commissioners who are appointed (the Cambridge Commissioners in this case) shall make statutes and regulations for the University in general accordance with the recommendations contained in the Report of the Royal Commission. Those recommendations include what is contained at the end of paragraph 195 (page 173) of the Report of the Royal Commission. I am anxious to see whether I quite follow the argument of the hon. Member who seconded the Amendment, and what I want to know from the Minister of Education is: does he take the view and do his advisers take the view that this is one of the recommendations: But we are also of opinion that women should be entitled to be admitted on the same conditions as men to membership of the University, subject to certain limitations stated below. 1.0 P.M.

What I want the right hon. Gentleman to tell me in view of the fact that this is one of the statements made in the body of the Report, and that Clause 6 says the Commissioners "shall,"—not "may,"—make Statutes and Regulations and so on—whether that is not the real effect? I am quite aware that there is power in Clause 6, and later, for the Commissioners to frame these new Statutes with such modifications as may, after the consideration of any representations made to them, appear to them expedient. What I have a little difficulty in seeing is why as things stand, under this Bill, this recommendation would not be applied. I have never understood that these recommendations were not included in the scope of what the statutory Commissioners under Clause 6 would be authorised and required to carry out. That being so, I am anxious to know what is the view of the Minister as to the operation. It may be said that there is a second Section which relates to this matter, and that in paragraph 199; for there we read: The question whether effect should be given by Parliamentary legislation to the changes recommended"— That is to say the effect of the admission of women— or whether the University should be left to deal with the matter under the new constitution is one on which we are fairly divided into two fairly equal parties. Be that as it may, I should have thought it was desirable to have a clear statement as to the view of the Government as to what are the duties of the Statutory Commissioners when we are inviting the House to authorise the carrying out of the recommendations of this Commission.