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One month on, Deputy First Minister, that does not feel very clear. I will quote a very senior member of the college sector, to whom I spoke this week, who said:

“I think we’ve had four or five different figures—flat cash, 8.4 per cent reduction, 4.7 per cent reduction and 1.5 per cent reduction. We have even been told by some Scottish Government officials that it is slightly up on this year. Honestly, pick a number—any number.”

That is the level of confusion in the college sector, which is getting applications now for next year. When will it know what its budget is for the coming year?

Those are key figures for the SFC in order for it to be able to put in place the forecasts on which your budget is based. It was clear from the Fiscal Commission’s evidence to us that it wants to see that policy. It is in the concordat protocol that you have laid out. The Government has not provided that information to the Fiscal Commission for two years in a row. Does it intend to provide it in the future? Is that a decision that will last?

Is it unusual for a UK budget to change the amount of money that we would have?

I will move on to education and universities. This morning, there has been press coverage regarding the £28.5 million funding cut to universities. Your stated aim is that

“additional savings are to be made in the HE sector, including from reducing first year university places”.

How many university places for Scottish students are you looking for universities to cut?

The convener highlighted the Government’s three missions. One relates to community. Sustaining public services—particularly in rural areas—requires affordable housing; there is no doubt about that. The mission relating to opportunity is meant to be about a fair, green transition, and we have already heard about fuel efficiency, energy efficiency in housing and growth in the economy. There is also the equality mission, which relates to poverty. The cuts will result in a comprehensive failure in all three missions, will they not?

It just feels very short term to me. You have described previous long-term decisions about poverty and the health of the country, but it feels that much in this budget is about dealing with immediate threats instead of thinking about the long term.

I see you nodding, Professor Bell. Is that your assumption, too?

That applies to both Governments.

I know that, in the past, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has been very keen on the parental employability support fund, but the social security secretary has said:

“I am afraid that the ... fund has just run its course as a concept.”—[Official Report, Social Justice and Social Security Committee, 14 September 2023; c 14.]

Do you have any reflections on that?

We have highlighted the cut to capital spending that is made in the budget—it is a cut of some £400 million. [Interruption.] The exact figure is £484 million—thank you for that, convener. The First Minister was talking about spending four times that amount. Is it realistic to say that, if we put that money back and added three times that amount, we could produce double-digit growth rates in Scotland? Is that realistic, Dr Sousa? If that would be possible, that is something that the committee might want to recommend. Could we find that money and achieve 10 per cent growth in Scotland?

Chris Birt, do you have any thoughts on that?