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I am keen to focus on the impact of long-tern financial trends on the university sector. We have already had exchanges in the chamber on the research excellence framework. The latest REF results indicate that universities in the rest of the UK are improving their performance at a faster rate than those in Scotland are. Although the set of results for Scotland are great, there is a worrying trend in comparison with the rest of the UK, and I know that the sector shares our worries. I am keen to get on record your views on the long-term strategic approach for the university sector and what that might mean for Scotland.

I have one more question to ask on the issue, if I may.

The position is not being maintained, minister. The gap is closing and our comparative capture of UKRI spending is declining. However, you are right to say that it is a good thing that we are outperforming the rest of the UK. We, as taxpayers, make a significant investment in our universities, and we want to see them continue to improve their performance.

I understand your points about the short-term budgetary considerations and the real pressure that is being faced. However, for 13 years there has been no increase in the unit of resource that is paid to Scottish universities for Scottish students. That is the key driver in terms of the business model that universities operate under, so is there not a long-term issue?

I am keen to get your personal thoughts on how important the sector is to the economic performance of the country in the long run. Whatever the constitutional settlement is in the future, which we may disagree on, how important is the sector? We have to maintain that advantage and increase it. What is being done by the Government to ensure that that can happen?

Universities Scotland has written to the committee and has told us that we have now reached what it describes as a significant tipping point. In 2023-24, the amount of money that is brought into universities by international student recruitment will, for the first time, outstrip public funding. We could talk about the rights and wrongs of that in terms of the budget process, but does it worry the minister that we are open to external shocks? There is a vulnerability in our institutions—as you rightly put it, our vital public universities—to a shock in international relations and the recruitment market for international students that we are now so reliant on. Is that a concern for the minister, and what can we do to ensure resilience against that?

What are you doing to make that happen?

Can you tell me anything specific that is not about engagement?

Thank you. I think that it will be appreciated by the committee.

Can we have a date for the international education strategy? Can we have any details of what you mean when you say that you are cognisant of the issue of external shock? What is being done to make our institutions and the sector more resilient?

A colleague on the committee suggested, at a previous meeting, that the idea that there might be different fees in different parts of the university sector—different rates per unit of resource—has created real concern within the sector. Perhaps the minister will take the opportunity either to dismiss that or to confirm that it is under active consideration by the Government.

Thank you.

We have heard quite a bit about engagement and meetings. Like other members, I am interested in practical actions and what is happening. It would be great if you could illustrate some of that, minister, rather than tell us what is in your diary.

Should issues of completion be one of the ways in which we assess what is happening in our colleges? A representative of the SFC said that it is considering using completion rates and ensuring that we have a better understanding of the area. We all have concerns about those statistics and how they are provided. However, we want to know that it is about not just the number of students going in, but how many complete the course, and we want to know whether you would make that a condition of widening access. It is about a policy decision that you might be able to take rather than a meeting that you might be able to have.

My understanding of the significant uplift that Mr Hepburn refers to in the college investment strategy is that it is, in essence, one project, although it is a very valid and worthwhile project in Fife. If the minister feels that there is another large amount of money that we have not seen, he could write to us and tell us where it is, because I cannot see it.

That is a clear misrepresentation of what I said. I said that there is a welcome project in Fife. The minister referred to the ageing infrastructure across the country—it is all ageing at the same rate—and then said that he is making significant investment. Actually, the Government is funding one project, although it is a worthwhile project, as I said clearly.

I will move on. In our inquiry, a number of people have raised worries about completion rates in Scotland’s colleges. To start off on that, are you concerned at the rate of completion of courses by students in Scotland’s colleges?