I apologise to you, Presiding Officer, and to members in the chamber, for being late.

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support the university sector during the current academic year. (S6O-03830)

Despite a challenging financial environment, we have continued to show our long-term commitment to Scotland’s universities by investing over £1 billion of teaching and research grant funding in the sector in 2024-25, having done so in each year since 2012-13. Our student support offering and policy on free tuition is supporting over 115,000 students this year, and Student Awards Agency for Scotland statistics show that the total amount of direct support to students is over £1 billion for the fifth year in a row.

Ensuring that our universities are on a sustainable trajectory is also at the heart of our on-going work and engagement with the sector to reform the wider post-school education and skills system so that the significant investment that we are making delivers the best outcomes for learners, the economy and society.

I thank the minister, but sustainability is not really going to cut it here, because the Educational Institute of Scotland has voiced its concern over the fall in funding from the Scottish Government for Scottish university students. Funding per student is now 19 per cent lower in real terms than it was a decade ago. Savage funding cuts have caused an overreliance on international students, whose numbers are now at a record high. Although I welcome international students, they should not be used to subsidise our universities because of a lack of funding from this SNP Government. A sudden decrease in their numbers for any reason could bankrupt our universities. Meanwhile, the SNP’s cap on places for home-grown students means that Scottish students are being turned away. I am particularly concerned about medicine.

Question.

Does the cabinet secretary consider that the overreliance on income from international students is sustainable? What consideration has he given to the far-reaching consequences of allowing our education system to be so run?

It is nice to hear a Conservative welcoming international students, because the rhetoric of the previous UK Government was far from welcoming.

I hope that the university sector would agree that the Scottish Government is working very closely with it on a range of subjects to make it financially more sustainable. On the point about international students, we are working very closely with the sector to enhance the numbers that are coming from a variety of countries. I do not believe that international students coming here is a bad thing. I recognise the risks that the member highlights, but I say to him gently that the issue around international student numbers dropping and the concern that that has caused are directly attributable to the actions and rhetoric of the previous Westminster Government, which he supported.

I seriously hope that this represents a change of position from the Conservatives, certainly in this place, towards being more welcoming of international students and international staff, because that is where we should be as a country.