Thank you to Mr Reckless for his series of questions. I know that you are relatively new to Wales, but there is an honourable tradition in Welsh public policy of the principle of universalism in a progressive system. It is one that has enjoyed a consensus of many of us in this Chamber, and I am delighted that Sir Ian has continued with that principle in the report today. I firmly believe that higher education is a shared investment—a shared investment, yes, with those who will directly benefit from pursuing a higher education—but, there is benefit to our society also in people deciding to choose at a higher education level. It is a shared investment and I for one am very pleased that Sir Ian has recognised it in his work and it is a principle that I fully endorse.

Mr Reckless asks how this is a progressive system. This is a progressive system because it will address the No. 1 concern for students in the here and now—that it is upfront living costs that is the biggest barrier to going on to study at higher education. It is the ability to survive from week to week, to sustain yourself in university, that is the biggest barrier. And in this system, students from our poorest backgrounds, or those who have been in the care system, or those who are estranged from their parents will have a maintenance grant, non-repayable, that is equivalent to the minimum wage. That is the essence of a progressive system. If he can’t recognise that, then there’s nothing I can do to help him. There is nothing I can do to help him. Nothing at all.

I think it’s also an important principle, which has been endorsed by Sir Ian today, that this system should be truly portable. As I’ve said in earlier questions, I don’t want to put a lid on the ambition of Welsh students. There are fantastic higher education institutions in our country that people can study in, and many in this Chamber have benefitted from them. But, there is also a wider world out there and if students want to take the opportunity to study in institutions in the rest of the UK, the European Union or other parts of the world, then I want a system that allows them to fulfil their dreams and their ambitions. If they are good enough to get into whichever institution, then this system should be there to support them. I will be looking to see how we can make that a reality for students.

With regard to incentivisation, it is a recommendation within the report. I welcome that recommendation. I think that there is merit in looking to do what we can to incentivise students to remain, to practise their work in Wales, to keep those skills in Wales, or to bring those skills back to Wales. It is not without its problems; that is outlined in the report. But it is not beyond the wit of this Government, working with others, to come up with a system that can achieve those goals. I have made a sincere offer to the Plaid Cymru spokesperson to work with them to see what scheme we can come up with that will do just that. There are practicalities to overcome. But, as I said, it’s not beyond the wit of us to be able to come up with a scheme, and that is what I intend to do.