2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Student Finance Wales? OAQ51459

The reforms that we are implementing in response to the Diamond review will deliver a fairer, more sustainable system of student support. I am confident that the Student Loans Company, which provides the Student Finance Wales service, can deliver the changes to the student finance system for our nation. 

I'm grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for that reply. Is she aware of problems that have been created for students who want to study postgraduate law degrees at universities like the BPP University in Bristol, where these courses have not been designated for student support? Students have had to defer enrolment to another time. This is very unfair. I know the Cabinet Secretary has been critical of the UK Government over Brexit in one respect, in that she fears that student exchange programmes will suffer as a result. If the result of the Student Loans Company's tardiness in designating suitable courses at English universities is not dealt with, then we're going to face a similar problem within the United Kingdom, and it would be quite wrong for students not to be able to go to the university of their choice for the course that they want and need for their future professional lives simply on grounds that the Student Loans Company is, in effect, stopping them from using the freedoms that everybody else has within Wales. 

All courses provided by alternative providers must be specifically designated by the Welsh Government before students are able to apply for student support. We have issued guidance on the Welsh Government's approach to the designation of specific courses by non-regulated providers for the purposes of student support funding. I'm sure most people in the Chamber would agree with me that it is in the interests of the students that the Welsh Government assures itself that any providers who are seeking designation for particular courses are able to meet specific criteria relating to, for example, financial and quality standards. The Welsh Government considers that institutions that have their courses automatically designated should provide education of an adequate quality, be financially viable and make a significant ongoing contribution to the public good with regard to the education system. We have endeavoured to deal with any applications for specific course designation as quickly as possible, but I do not intend to row back on the safeguards for Welsh students and the Welsh public purse. 

Cabinet Secretary, Jo Johnson made an announcement on the weekend about some of the changes that he was making to university courses and the availability of two-year courses in the English higher education system. Obviously, student finance and the amount of debt that students take on is of grave concern to many students when considering their options. Have you made any assessment of the viability of two-year degree courses and the opportunities that they would present to many students who wish to undertake them by maybe having those courses available here in Wales?  

I would agree, Andrew, that many students are concerned about how they will financially support themselves whilst undertaking a period of higher education study, and that's why we're implementing the Diamond review, which will see Wales have the most comprehensive support for students, especially for those students from a non-traditional background who perhaps in the past wouldn't even have aspired to go to university. I have noted the speech by Jo Johnson with regard to two-year degrees. At this time, I'm considering the evidence as to whether those two-year degrees are of sufficient quality, whether they allow students to have the depth of learning that they need, and also the cost implications, because there is some evidence to suggest that when it comes to delivering courses over a two-year period, they're not necessarily cheaper and there are sometimes issues around the quality, and I would not want to move forward unless I was absolutely confident of the evidence that to move to two-year degrees would be beneficial to students.