5. What will be the cost of giving means tested grants to newly eligible students from households earning between £50,020 and £81,000? OAQ(5)0219(FM)

The Member is jumping the gun a little, because, of course, the Government has not yet provided a full response to the Diamond review. That response is being considered and will be announced in due course.

If the Government’s mind is still open on this matter, will the First Minister note that university participation at this income level is already high? Mark Drakeford will be setting out later the financial pressures the Welsh Government faces and, just in response to my party colleagues earlier, you said that you weren’t able even to estimate a start date for construction on the metro, and you heard that we had the lowest GP numbers of any of the nations and regions in the UK. In light of that, will the First Minister consider whether providing means-tested grants to this group really is that priority?

I’m not sure that GPs and the metro are connected, but in regard to the metro, that’s because, of course, the franchise will not be transferred until the autumn of next year. So, it’s difficult to give a start date to phase 2. Phase 1 of the metro has started, of course, already. That started last year. It’s to do with phase 2 and the way that the franchise, the agreement on the franchise, and the map that will be important in terms of determining when the next phase of the metro will begin.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education has indicated the broad principles that we’ll be following in response to the Diamond review, and we’ll seek to get the most equitable solution for all Welsh students.

Of course, as we move away from the current model that has been described as an unsustainable model to a model that, one assumes, will be based on Diamond, can you confirm whether it is your Government’s intention to try to achieve any financial savings?

Well, of course, we want to ensure that there is an equitable system in place that uses the funding available, of course, and that follows the principles that we’ve already set down, namely that we retain the principle that everybody should be part of the system, ensure that there is a fair and consistent approach to dealing with students, whether they are part time or full time, ensure, of course, that there is an investment by the individual and also by the Government, and ensure that they can have greater access to higher education. Those are the principles that the Secretary has cited to date, and those are the ones that we will follow.

First Minister, you had an opportunity there, in response to Llyr Gruffydd, to re-commit yourself to the commitment that both you and the Liberal Democrats reached when forming your coalition Government, which was that there would be no negative effect on the higher education budget as a result of the implementation of any changes. Will you take the opportunity to make that commitment today, and do you acknowledge that Professor Diamond himself has suggested that there will be a £48.25 million-worth of savings each year if these recommendations are implemented today? That’s a significant saving. What are you going to do with that extra money?

We will look to invest in the institutions, in the universities, of course. It’s not without strings. We want to make sure that our universities deliver, of course. So, I don’t want to give the impression that this is money that universities would get without an expectation that they continue to deliver better, but we want to make sure that investment continues to rise in our higher education institutions while, at the same time, delivering a fair deal for students.