It is difficult to know where to begin a debate on the impact of Brexit when so much is still unclear, but I don't want us to focus our discussions on whether we agree with Brexit or on the votes happening in the UK Parliament. Rather, our aim in tabling today's debate is to discuss the potential impact Brexit could have on students and education providers in Wales, based on the evidence we received from experts in the field and those on the front line. 

This was a challenging inquiry that was considered against a backdrop that was, and still is, constantly changing. Due to this shifting landscape and the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, a number of significant matters only became clearer as the inquiry progressed. The way we approached our work and the shape of the conclusions and recommendations in the report reflect this uncertainty.

The committee came to three broad conclusions. Conclusion 1: even a reasonably favourable Brexit would, under current plans, require the HE sector to adapt and change in its most important areas of operations, while the FE sector, with its much smaller international staff and student bodies, will also need to respond to Brexit-related changes in their local economies. Conclusion 2: despite Treasury funding guarantees, a 'no deal' scenario would still be significantly disruptive to both sectors, deeply so for the higher education sector. Conclusion 3: we found that few opportunities from Brexit for either sector were identified in the short term, and those that were identified were raised in the context of simply making the best of Brexit.

Within these three broad areas and the key issues that emerged, the committee made 12 recommendations. I am pleased that the Minister was able to accept all 12 recommendations either fully, in part or in principle. However, since the report was published in December 2018, the likelihood of a 'no deal' Brexit and the consequent need for clear and proactive Welsh Government planning to mitigate the impact on staff, students and providers substantially increased. We were therefore concerned that, in relation to a number of the recommendations, the Government’s initial response did not provide sufficient clarity, or failed to respond to all the specific recommendations made.

With so much still unclear, it must be our shared goal to reduce uncertainty for staff and providers as much as possible. I’d like to thank the Minister for the additional information provided last week, which does provide some further clarity on a number of points. The committee will take this additional information into account alongside her response to today’s debate.

I don't intend to go through each of the 12 recommendations today; I would instead prefer to concentrate my comments on three of the key areas contained in the report: student and staff immigration, the effect of Brexit on EU programmes like Erasmus+, and meeting industry skills demands after Brexit.

Firstly, student and staff immigration: new immigration restrictions for EU staff and students was a key issue considered during the inquiry. The evidence we received indicated that a change from the current immigration status quo to a more restricted system would have a detrimental impact on universities. To reduce uncertainty, there needs to be as little change as possible to the rules governing the movement of EU students and staff.

We also recognised that student immigration is not limited to EU students. The committee therefore believes that the immigration rules for EU students and other international students should be brought together into one set of rules for all international students coming to Wales. In highlighting the principle that there should be as little disruption as possible to staff and students, the committee was mindful that it would be for others to set the detail of the rules. It is our clear view, however, that Wales should be able to set its own direction on this.

Our recommendation was, therefore, that, via the UK Immigration Bill, Welsh Government should demand executive powers that allow it to make different immigration rules specifically for students and academic staff in Wales. It is important to note that this is different to seeking legislative competence over immigration. Since the publication of the report, the UK Government has published its White Paper consulting on the UK's future immigration system, and has introduced its Immigration Bill. This Bill appears to give the Secretary of State the power to repeal free movement law in the UK. This means that, in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit, freedom of movement need not be ended immediately.