National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the announcement by Cardiff University that it will cut 400 jobs and close several degree courses including ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology.   

2. Regrets:

a) the failure of the Welsh Government to establish a sustainable funding model for universities in Wales despite repeated warnings from the sector over many years;  

b) the impact the announcement will have on staff and learners, and on the economy as well as Wales’s reputation as a nation of learning; and

c) the increased financial pressure caused by the UK Government’s decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions and changes to visa rules for international students.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) develop, in line with its devolved responsibility, a new higher education strategy to protect jobs and place the sector on a sustainable financial footing;

b) commission an assessment of the impact of the plans to close the nursing school on NHS nursing staff levels; and

c) publish an evaluation of the financial pressures faced by Welsh universities.