Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what comparative assessment she has made of the number of borrowers with increasing loan balances in (a) financial year 2024-25 and (b) previous financial years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The number of borrowers whose loan balance has increased between the start and end of the financial year for the most recent four years is:
These figures cover Student Finance England loan borrowers only, whereas the previous number provided to Question 50912 included borrowers from all UK funding bodies.
These numbers include all borrowers whose loan balance has increased, regardless of the number of payments they have made across the financial year, whereas Question 50912 included only borrowers who made at least four payments across the financial year.
These figures cover Plan 2, 5 and 3 undergraduate and postgraduate loan borrowers funded by Student Finance England. For each of the financial years provided, the figure was generated by comparing borrowers’ loan balances between 1 April at the start of the financial year and 31 March at the end of the financial year.
At the end of a borrower’s loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, will be written off. This write-off is a government subsidy and a deliberate investment in our people and the economy.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people who will be impacted by the changes to the five-year settlement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government's Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues, including indefinite leave to remain.
This will include an expansion of the Point-Based System which will increase the standard qualifying period for settlement to ten years. As part of this expansion, we will reform the current rules around settlement so that individuals must earn their right to a privileged immigration status in the UK through the long-term contribution they bring to our country.
We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and will provide details of how the scheme will work after that, including on any transitional arrangements for people already in the UK.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what steps her Department takes to help ensure that borrowers are adequately informed about (a) how interest accrues on student loans and (b) the potential impact of making minimum repayments.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
When a borrower takes out a student loan, they are provided with the terms and conditions. These clearly set out the repayment thresholds, when a borrower will start repaying, how their repayments will be calculated, how interest is applied, and when the loan term ends. Details around the protections available for borrowers, including the fact that any outstanding balance will be written off at the end of the loan term, are also included. All student loan borrowers must confirm that they have read and understood the terms and conditions prior to signing the loan agreement.
Access to this information up front ensures that prospective students can weigh up the likely overall costs and likely benefits to them of undertaking higher education, alongside the financial cost of repayment across the length of the loan period.
For those who may still be unclear about the long-term commitment of a student loan, there is a range of guidance on student loans available from the Student Loans Company.
Student loan borrowers may make additional, voluntary repayments at any time, if they wish to reduce their loan balance sooner or repay their loan in full. They will need to consider their personal circumstances and the fact that any outstanding loan balance, including interest accrued, will be written off at the end of the loan term. Voluntary repayments cannot be refunded.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of consulting on introducing a pilot humanitarian refugee visa for people fleeing (a) war and (b) persecution.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits expanding existing safe and legal routes.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White paper, published on 12 May 2025, announced new measures on a wide range of issues including refugee sponsorship and resettlement, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, whether her Department has considered (a) changes to interest rates, (b) changes to repayment thresholds and (c) other policy changes to help prevent loan balances from increasing despite regular repayments.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The student finance system removes upfront financial barriers so that everyone with the ability and desire to enter higher education can do so.
Student loan debt is not like other debt. Monthly repayments depend on earnings, not on interest rates or the amount borrowed. No-one who earns under the student loan repayment threshold is required to make any repayments. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan balance, including interest built up, will be written off. This write-off is a deliberate investment in our people and the economy. No commercial loan offers this level of protection.
Furthermore, since August 2023, loans for new undergraduate borrowers have been issued on Plan 5 terms. These have an interest rate set in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation. This means Plan 5 borrowers will not repay more than they originally borrow over the lifetime of their loans, when adjusted for inflation.
The department will set out longer-term plans for higher education reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper this summer.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether refugees seeking to bring family to the UK will be subject to increased (a) financial and (b) English language requirements.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Immigration White paper, published 12 May 2025, set out a wide range of reforms, including to family policy, further details of which will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 50912 on Students: Loans, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of persistent student loan debt on levels of social mobility among (a) graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds and (b) other graduates.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The system is designed to ensure that those who benefit financially from higher education contribute towards the cost of it. This is why repayments are linked to income and not the loan balance, with monthly repayments increasing with borrower income.
Student loans are not like commercial loans, as they carry significant protections for borrowers. Those earning below the repayment threshold repay nothing, and at the end of the loan term, any outstanding debt is cancelled. This subsidy is a conscious investment in the skills capacity, people and economy of this country.
Furthermore, student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records.
A full equality impact assessment of how student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022 under the previous government and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the student loan system does not entrench socioeconomic disparities for (a) first-generation university students and (b) students from lower-income households.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. The student finance system removes upfront financial barriers so that everyone with the ability and desire to enter higher education (HE) can do so.
All eligible students, regardless of their household income, can apply for up-front fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition. Unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Monthly repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed, and individuals are only required to make their contribution to the system when they are earning over the repayment threshold.
The government has announced that maximum loans and grants for living and other costs will increase by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, with the highest levels of support paid to students from the lowest income families. A 3.1% increase is in line with forecast inflation based on the RPIX inflation index.
The department aims to publish our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White Paper in the summer, and we will work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) universities and (b) students’ unions on (i) conducting and (ii) the oversight of risk assessments for student-led (A) extracurricular and (B) off-campus activities.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Risk assessments are a legal requirement, and it is crucial for higher education (HE) providers and their affiliated student groups to comply with existing legislation and relevant guidance. This includes adhering to the Health and Safety Executive's guidelines for schools and education settings, any National Union of Students guidance and HE provider policies. Ensuring that risk assessments are conducted appropriately is essential to managing risks associated with student-led activities. Each HE provider should establish its own guidance and procedures to ensure compliance with these requirements.