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A challenge for Government and all its partners in this work is to build capacity in the skills system to meet the need that is coming. As I have said, engagement with the college sector is a priority for me. Part of that is about looking at what more we can do collectively with regard to transformation to ensure that, when it comes to areas of growth and when employers are looking to services and the skills capacity in the economy, they will have comfort that they will be able to get the people that they need ahead of making any investment.

I know that from my very pertinent constituency experience with the port of Leith. One of my aspirations in this role is to deliver more in this space for the whole country and to ensure that we have the people that businesses require to make investments with confidence—and, crucially, that when those investments materialise, we see growth and social benefit in those areas of strength. The obvious example is renewables, but there are other sectors, too, and it all needs to be related to financial planning, which brings me back to your point.

That is a totally fair question, but I ask Parliament to give me some time. I say this in good faith: one thing that I was really determined to emphasise in my opening statement last week, and which I added to the draft myself, was that I want to be clear that, although there is an on-going primary legislation process, I also want to do what I can, while I am charged with this responsibility, to advance skills in planning and the skills agenda in ways that do not require legislative change.

I thank Mr Greer for what is, as always, an interesting question.

On the one hand, our universities receive significant amounts of public money through the SFC. On the other, they are independent institutions, and it is proper for the Government to respect that. I think that the position is adequate at the moment, but I thank the member for raising the matter.

I appreciate the points that have been raised, and I will reflect on them.

I will not speculate on board discussions that I was not part of or in the room to hear.

This is the situation that I was alluding to. I appreciate Parliament’s focus on the matter as a result of reports that were published and put into the public domain on Friday. However, it is a matter that has been under almost constant discussion for ministers, including my predecessor. Ministers are, all the time, across the question of how we support our colleges.

There is a live discussion about a specific figure. We are seeking advice from the SFC on a range of matters, including support for our colleges. In this post, I look forward to engaging with our college sector through Colleges Scotland, which is the body that represents them. I also look forward to engaging with individual institutions in the period ahead.

I and other education ministers will be arguing for our portfolio, and there is a shared interest across the Scottish Government for education to thrive, not just for—although most importantly for—the benefit of the people whom we all serve, but, crucially, to ensure that we fulfil the economic potential and bring forward all the positive impacts that that can have.

You asked how we are going to work collaboratively with the colleges and step into the future and the next chapter together. I am extremely passionate about that, and I want to really focus on that, in my role, in the period between now and the election.

There is—it is cited in members’ papers for today’s meeting—quite a well-developed position with the universities with regard to how they want, collectively, to think about sustainability for the future and work together on what needs to change and how the Scottish Funding Council, the Scottish Government and the sector can work collaboratively.

I would really love to establish that with the college sector. It is about my not only working with the body—Colleges Scotland—but engaging with individual institutions. A great—or significant—number of those institutions have written to me in the past week, as the committee would expect. I look forward to engaging with several of them, as much as capacity will allow, once I am not doing parliamentary business every day—as has been the case since last Tuesday, pretty much.

I am sorry—I cannot hear your question, because of what is happening behind me.

There is, of course, our approach to tuition, which means that the majority of Scottish-domiciled students, either in further or higher education, do not leave university with any personal debt for fees. As the member knows, that has been the Government’s position since it took office; it was a key policy that was delivered and which has been sustained. What that means—and there is survey evidence on this—is that individuals do not have to bring into their consideration or personal analysis of whether university or further education is the right option for them the question whether they will accumulate debt for fees as a result. That is very important.

As for student support, I mentioned in my opening statement that the position here is better, too. Average loan debts for Scottish students are the lowest in the UK; indeed, they are more than £35,000 lower than the average for students from England.

As I said to the Parliament yesterday, the Scottish Government will discuss all issues relating to sustainable funding in the round, except for the introduction of up-front tuition fees as were in place previously under the Scottish executive. We will not discuss the possibility of reintroducing tuition fees. My personal view is that tuition fees have been a bit of a red herring. If tuition fees are a panacea, why are we seeing such difficulties with institutions south of the border, where fees are over £9,000 a year? Unless people are arguing for tuition fees to be higher than £9,000 a year—I think £9,000 is too high, so any higher would certainly be too high—introducing tuition fees cannot be a sustainable funding solution for our institutions. I want to continue the good-faith discussions on sustainable funding, but the Scottish Government is clear that, as long as we are charged by the people of Scotland to be in Government, tuition fees will not be introduced.