Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the average cost to student midwives of (a) unpaid clinical placement hours and (b) student loan debt; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to student midwives.

No such assessment has been made. Students undertaking pre-registration midwifery courses can access support from Student Finance England (SFE). This includes payment for tuition fees, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, where applicable, other grants, such as for childcare.

The Government has announced that the maximum loans and grants for living and other costs from SFE will increase by forecast inflation, by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, based on the RPIX inflation index.

In addition to support provided by SFE, eligible midwifery students receive a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per year via the NHS Learning Support Fund. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs, and travel.

Funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.