Mr. Keith Moynes:

That is a good question. Regional balance is very important to us in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. We recognise the role that higher and further education plays in driving regional skills needs in making regions sticky and meeting their needs. It is important to us. I cannot speak to what decision the Government might want to reach on these issues but to be sure, the regional dimension will feature in any multi-criteria analysis. When we looking at the different options available in a process like this, we will certainly be considering the regional dimension. We will be looking at what colleagues are telling us about sectoral demands in terms of that regional dimension. We will be looking at that alongside considerations relating to cost, affordability and capability, but regional issues will be a strong consideration.