, Plenary
The Higher Education (Fee Limits) (Wales) Regulations 2026
Diolch, Llywydd. If I respond, first of all, to Mike Hedges's comments in his capacity as the Chair of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, just to reiterate that these regulations are intended to set out the fee limits themselves, while the…
, Plenary
The Higher Education (Fee Limits) (Wales) Regulations 2026
Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 establishes a comprehensive regulatory regime for tertiary education in Wales, including the establishment of a register of providers of higher education. The register…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Yes. There are a few points I will add. Firstly, to go back to the data that I referenced earlier, if you look at our success rate by the time a person in Wales reaches the age of 30, I believe it's 53 per cent go to university—and that is actually higher…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you. There's a lot there. I'll see how much I can get through before the Chair cuts me off. That UCAS data is really important. It is a key marker for us. I'm pleased to see that the number of placed applicants from Wales, because I think that's a very…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you. I realise I didn't answer the second part of your question. I'll try to cover both of those things. Some of the work that we have been doing on the board has been looking at how we map skills for the future, which I'm sure you'll remember from your…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
So, that puts a closer marker on that. And what it will do, then, is to reflect the conclusions of the reference group of key stakeholders that we convened to consider how best to strengthen vocational education and training in Wales. It should complement the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thanks, Vaughan. Thanks for that question. So, what I will say is that we're going to publish the strategic direction for vocational education and training in Wales prior to the pre-election period.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you, Natasha. This is a really important question. I would like to start by qualifying—. I think you said waiting lists at every college. There is currently only one college with a waiting list, and I'm in close conversation with the principal there…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
I believe it's been baselined.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you. I'm happy to answer that, and it touches on some of the conversation I had with Vaughan earlier about Medr. So, the decision to provide that funding specifically for conservatoire provision was part of an investment in culture and the arts, hence…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Yes, and we can offer a briefing as well, because it's of such a technical nature. I'd love to sit here and go through it all and explain it for the next hour, but I know we haven't got the time.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Well, Chair, you've set me a challenge now, because that's a very technical question to try and answer in a short amount of time. I don't know if I'm going to be in your good books if I go through all of this, but it is important.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Yes, thank you, Carolyn. So, the increases to the tuition fee limits are to keep pace with the increases in fees in England to ensure that our Welsh universities are not at a competitive disadvantage with those universities across the border. We estimate that…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you for that question, Natasha. I'd like to start by reiterating that, based on monitoring and reporting by Medr, we don't believe there's an immediate risk of any university in Wales facing financial collapse. I think it's really important to put that…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Yes, absolutely. So, Medr will have a vital role to play in addressing and delivering the next Government's response to these challenges. So, to recap, Medr is responsible for grant funding, regulation and performance monitoring in the sector. Also, they play…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Thank you, Vaughan. I think the first thing that any incoming Government really needs to get to grips with is the fact that by the time of the following Senedd election in 2030 is when we're going to see what's predicted to be—well, what will be—a decade-long…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Welsh Government - Education
Can I just come in there with regard to the role of the FE sector, particularly in the 14 to 16 space? One of the most powerful interventions we've seen to increase attendance and attainment is the junior apprenticeship programme. I mean, the results there…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Yes, Chair. I wish to declare that I have a close family member who is a student at Swansea University.
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, thank you, and I think Alun Davies is absolutely right in saying that we need to see this issue in its widest possible context, and that’s both in terms of the funding issues that we face across the UK, but also in terms of the economic, educational and…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, thank you, Heledd, for your questions there, but I’m sure, if you look back and read the transcript, you will see that I’ve said at various intervals during this exchange that this is a serious problem for the HE sector here, not just in Wales, but…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thank you, Jenny, for your questions and your comments there, and I align myself completely with the comments that you’ve made about the value of international students. And that’s not just, obviously, the monetary value that they bring to our HEIs, but the…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Diolch, Llywydd. As you will know, Cefin, we’ve provided over £200 million to the higher education sector in the current financial year, with an additional £10 million being awarded in the supplementary budget, and also other funding such as the Digarbon…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thank you, Cefin, for those series of comments. I will try to extract some questions from them so that I can answer. [Interruption.] As you know, we have—
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I'd like to thank Natasha Asghar for those questions. And you began by talking about the well-being of students, and I share your concern for the well-being of students. I know that the National Union of Students branch in Cardiff is very active and will be…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I'd like to thank Julie Morgan for that question. We are aware of Cardiff University's recent announcement on plans to consult with staff and trade unions on compulsory job losses, and the potential closure of course provision. We understand that the…
