Seòmar agus comataidhean

There was controversy about the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on curriculum for excellence and the fact that ministers had received it before its publication. It was suggested—although this was disputed—that they had materially interfered with the delivery of what was in the report.

Thank you. So, you refute the evidence of international experience in relation to rent freezes—fair enough.

Universities Scotland says that there are 1,400 fewer Scottish students studying this year in Scotland’s universities. What is your reaction to that?

Fourteen hundred fewer Scottish students were able to get into university in this academic year because of the cap that universities have put on Scottish places. What is your reaction to that?

If 1,400 Scottish students who have qualified to go to university cannot go to university, that is surely more than a shame. The NUS must feel more strongly about it than that.

Well, that is what I am trying to focus on, convener, but I will take your guidance.

Well, I will ask about the reported stories from the University of Glasgow, where students have been told that they should pause or not turn up for their studies in this academic term. Is that true, and how many students are affected by that? How many took up the Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training’s offer to contact his ministerial office if they did not have accommodation?

And capping the number of Scottish students, obviously.

But you need the revenue from the international students to compensate for the fact that you are not getting the full cost of the teaching.

We are dealing with real-world politics. We know that the situation with China is very precarious and very difficult. In a worst-case scenario, we might not have our Chinese student contingent in Scotland’s universities. What is your reaction to that? I hope that the university sector is planning for such contingencies.

I do not want to go down the Confucius Institute rabbit hole.