Following the First Minister's claims in the chamber today that the SNP were increasing higher education funding 'throughout the term of this spending review', Labour's higher education spokesman Richard Baker MSP said:

"The First Minister on three occasions today - once for the benefit of each opposition party, advised the chamber that university funding was increasing in real terms throughout the SNP's spending review period.

"Next year there is in fact a real terms cut.

"We know the First Minister is big on bluster and bad on detail, but he must reflect on the Presiding Officer's comments that Ministers will give accurate and truthful information to the Parliament and will correct any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.

"I would suggest the First Minister looks up the word 'throughout', because a dictionary will tell him it implies a year on year increase - which is not being delivered to higher education under the SNP's spending."

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