Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the energy price cap rise on the finances of student households.

Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and are responsible for setting their own agreements over rent and bills. The government plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation whether the accommodation is managed by universities or private sector organisations.

Maximum grants and loans for living costs were increased by 3.1% this academic year, and we have announced that they will increase by a further 2.3% next year.

Increases are based on the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts of inflation in the first quarter of the calendar year after the start of the relevant academic year using the RPIX inflation index (Retail Prices Index, less Mortgage Interest Payments).

Our grant funding to the Office for Students (OfS) for the current financial year includes an allocation of £5 million to higher education (HE) providers in England in order to provide additional support for student hardship. In our guidance to the OfS on funding for the 2021/22 financial year, we made clear that the OfS should protect the £256 million allocation for the student premiums to support disadvantaged students and those that need additional help.

Many providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance should individuals’ finances be affected in the academic year 2021/22. The government is also making available discretionary funding of £144 million to be provided to support vulnerable people and individuals on low incomes. Advice is available from HE providers and from other sources online to help students manage their money while they are attending their courses.