I absolutely concur that there are real pressures and real challenges, but not just for the higher education sector, bearing in mind the topic of this debate. 

The radical reforms this Welsh Labour-led Government has implemented in response to the Diamond review are radical and they will create a strong and sustainable funding settlement. This radical and progressive approach will also mean students are better supported. So, we listened to students' concerns around the costs of living, and we will therefore be the first country in Europe to provide equivalent living costs support in both grants and loans to full-time and part-time undergraduates, because we've listened, we heard and we have acted.

And while the UK Government has cut back on grants for English students, Wales has moved further and has fostered support to those students from homes with a lower household income, and this is also right. Labour Governments have a proud record of expanding higher education, opening new institutions, establishing the Open University and improving access for people of all backgrounds. And here in Wales, with the ongoing Diamond suite of reforms, we are continuing that radical trajectory and tradition.

But, of course, in response to Helen Mary's interjection, we also have to and must recognise that there are very real pressures within the sector, in particular the concerns around job losses and the sustainability of some institutions, and that is a great worry to many. But it is also right that Welsh Government has called on Welsh universities to become living wage employers, and I would very much like to underscore that. 

So, Minister, I would therefore like to ask what representations has the Welsh Government made to institutions' staff and trade unions around the impact of job losses announced by Welsh institutions. And with regard to the projected Brexit implications on Welsh higher education institutions as well, in particular the calamitous 'no deal' Brexit, what support has the Welsh Government put in place to support institutions through this very difficult time for the sector and, by a result, the Welsh economy?