Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that student nurses do not experience hardship as a consequence of administrative errors in the provision of maintenance loans.

On 18 April, the government announced that the Student Loans Company (SLC) will provide support to ensure that none of the students affected by the error suffer hardship.

Students who believe that they may face hardship as a result of the error will be eligible to apply for additional, non-repayable, support of up to £1,000 for the remainder of this academic year, and should contact SLC. In addition, repayment of overpaid maintenance support will be deferred for all students affected until they have finished their courses and can afford to repay.