Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government regarding the impact of the rising cost of living on students from England studying in Wales.

The department reviews living costs support on an annual basis and has continued to increase maximum loans and grants for living and other costs each year, with a 2.3% increase for the current academic year, 2022/23, and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24. This would apply to all English domiciled students, including those which are studying at a university in Wales. Decisions on student finance have had to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.

Loans for living costs are a contribution towards students’ living costs while attending university, with the highest levels of support targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families.

The government believes that income-contingent student loans are a fair and sensible way of financing higher education. It is only right that those who benefit from the system should make a fair contribution to its costs.

The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students. However, education is a devolved matter, so additional financial support with cost-of-living pressures for students in Wales will be the responsibility of the devolved government.

All households, including those in Wales, will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act 2022, passed on 25 October 2022, includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers, are protected from high energy bills this winter.