I wonder what the children in the gallery think of Neil Hamilton's comments. 

3. Pa gymorth pellach y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei roi i addysg uwch yng Nghymru? OAQ51965

Well, the support we are providing to the sector, together with the reforms we've introduced in response to the Diamond review, will create a more sustainable higher education sector in Wales and provide the most generous student support package in the UK. 

First Minister, I wanted to raise the issue of the University and College Union strike. I know that talks are now ongoing about the validity of the figure that has been given for the pension deficit of £6.1 billion, and Universities UK has agreed an independent expert panel to review it. However, more strike action is still on the table, with potential disruption to exams, but, nevertheless, the strikers have the support of the students, of some of the vice chancellors, and of many of us politicians. So, I just want to ask the First Minister: what help could the Welsh Government give to reach a satisfactory conclusion of their strike?

Well, this is a strike in a devolved sector, but over a non-devolved issue. There are two things, however, that it's important for us to say. First of all, I think it is important that there is an independent valuation, so that there can be confidence in that valuation, and, secondly, as a Government, we stand ready to facilitate any discussions in order to get to a conclusion. 

First Minister, one group of young people who often miss out on a university education are those from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds. And you'll know that part of the reason for that is their poor performance at GCSEs compared to their peers. They get 30 per cent lower in terms of the individuals who actually pass five or more CGSEs at grades A* to C. Now, one of the things which your Government has done recently, which is going to make it more difficult for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children to be able to access a university education, is the axing of the minority ethnic achievement grant. Much of that, of course, was used by schools in order to support the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children. Will you consider reversing that decision, and what additional support are you going to provide on top of it, in order that we can address this inequality?

If I remember rightly, there were three local authorities that were particularly affected by the grant. We have made sure that money has been made available to them in order for them to provide the services that they need to. We do, however, need to look in the future as to whether the grant is targeted enough. We know that there's underachievement amongst the Gypsy/Traveller community, but, of course, in other minority ethnic communities, achievement is actually higher than in the population as a whole. So, the question for us would be: how do we look at targeting more precisely resources towards those groups that need it most?

Your Government needs to be proactive in this area. You’re right that the exact point is not devolved but, as you acknowledge, it does have a very significant impact on vast areas of the sector that are devolved. So, in being proactive, will you convene a meeting of vice-chancellors in Wales to tell them exactly what your Government’s views are on what’s happened? Would you agree with Plaid Cymru that the way in which universities have treated our lecturers is entirely disgraceful and unacceptable?

Well, what I said earlier was exactly what the union has told us, that they wish us to support them in order to have a reconsideration of the value of the pension scheme, and, secondly, to help to bring people together to see whether there’s a way forward on this. But what we cannot do, ultimately—. It would be very bad for us in Wales if the strike were to continue, so it’s very important that we bring it to a conclusion, that the institutions come to an agreement with the unions, come to a settlement, which means that the students can carry on with their studies.