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1458092

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the mechanism for determining student loan interest in light of the projected volatility of inflation rates.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The mechanism for setting student loan interest rates is set out in legislation. The interest rate for Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans are set annually with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March. The rates take effect from 1 September.</p><p>The March RPI figure this year is a demonstration of the unusual events currently affecting all aspects of the economy and our society. The government has not yet made a decision on what interest rates will be applied to student loans from September. We will be considering all options over the coming months and will confirm in due course the rates to apply from 1 September.</p><p>Student loans remove financial barriers to higher education (HE). Unlike commercial alternatives, student loans are available to all eligible students, regardless of background or financial history. Student loans offer unique protections to borrowers. Monthly repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change based on interest rates or the amount borrowed. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection.</p><p>Interest rates affect lifetime repayments only for those who will repay their loans in full within the loan term (or who come very close to doing so), principally high earners and/or those with small loan balances. Currently, only 23% of borrowers who enter full-time higher education next year are forecast to repay their loans in full.</p><p>To further protect borrowers the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. The government monitors student loan rates against the Bank of England’s data series for the effective interest rates on new and existing unsecured personal loans. It is misleading to compare student loan interest rates to rates for mortgages or other loans secured against assets.</p><p>We are determined that the cost of living should not deter those from less advantaged backgrounds from applying to and thriving at university a record number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds were accepted onto HE courses in 2021. Students can also benefit from many of the measures this government has taken to help with the cost of living, including raising the National Minimum Wage, reducing VAT, freezing alcohol and fuel duty, the Energy Rebate Scheme and capping the cost of energy.</p><p>We announced in February that we will be reducing interest rates for new borrowers and so from the 2023/24 academic year, new graduates will not, in real terms, repay more than they borrow. Alongside our wider reforms, this will help to make sure that students from all walks of life can continue to receive the highest-quality education from our world-leading HE sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 153741 153742 question first answered 25/04/2022 15:31:00 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1458093

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of levels of interest on student loans on levels of enrolment at universities.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153741
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The mechanism for setting student loan interest rates is set out in legislation. The interest rate for Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans are set annually with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March. The rates take effect from 1 September.</p><p>The March RPI figure this year is a demonstration of the unusual events currently affecting all aspects of the economy and our society. The government has not yet made a decision on what interest rates will be applied to student loans from September. We will be considering all options over the coming months and will confirm in due course the rates to apply from 1 September.</p><p>Student loans remove financial barriers to higher education (HE). Unlike commercial alternatives, student loans are available to all eligible students, regardless of background or financial history. Student loans offer unique protections to borrowers. Monthly repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change based on interest rates or the amount borrowed. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection.</p><p>Interest rates affect lifetime repayments only for those who will repay their loans in full within the loan term (or who come very close to doing so), principally high earners and/or those with small loan balances. Currently, only 23% of borrowers who enter full-time higher education next year are forecast to repay their loans in full.</p><p>To further protect borrowers the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. The government monitors student loan rates against the Bank of England’s data series for the effective interest rates on new and existing unsecured personal loans. It is misleading to compare student loan interest rates to rates for mortgages or other loans secured against assets.</p><p>We are determined that the cost of living should not deter those from less advantaged backgrounds from applying to and thriving at university a record number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds were accepted onto HE courses in 2021. Students can also benefit from many of the measures this government has taken to help with the cost of living, including raising the National Minimum Wage, reducing VAT, freezing alcohol and fuel duty, the Energy Rebate Scheme and capping the cost of energy.</p><p>We announced in February that we will be reducing interest rates for new borrowers and so from the 2023/24 academic year, new graduates will not, in real terms, repay more than they borrow. Alongside our wider reforms, this will help to make sure that students from all walks of life can continue to receive the highest-quality education from our world-leading HE sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 153740 153742 question first answered 25/04/2022 15:31:00 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1458094

registered interest
date	14/04/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications of projected increases in student loan interest rates exceeding that paid by homeowners on mortgages.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	153742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2022 answer text <p>The mechanism for setting student loan interest rates is set out in legislation. The interest rate for Plan 2 and Plan 3 loans are set annually with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March. The rates take effect from 1 September.</p><p>The March RPI figure this year is a demonstration of the unusual events currently affecting all aspects of the economy and our society. The government has not yet made a decision on what interest rates will be applied to student loans from September. We will be considering all options over the coming months and will confirm in due course the rates to apply from 1 September.</p><p>Student loans remove financial barriers to higher education (HE). Unlike commercial alternatives, student loans are available to all eligible students, regardless of background or financial history. Student loans offer unique protections to borrowers. Monthly repayments are calculated as a fixed percentage of earnings above the relevant repayment threshold and do not change based on interest rates or the amount borrowed. If income is below the relevant repayment threshold, or a borrower is not earning, then they do not have to make repayments at all. Any outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is written off after the loan term ends (or in case of death or disability) at no detriment to the borrower. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of protection.</p><p>Interest rates affect lifetime repayments only for those who will repay their loans in full within the loan term (or who come very close to doing so), principally high earners and/or those with small loan balances. Currently, only 23% of borrowers who enter full-time higher education next year are forecast to repay their loans in full.</p><p>To further protect borrowers the government, by law, must cap maximum student loan rates to ensure the interest rate charged on the loan is in line with market rates for comparable unsecured personal loans. The government monitors student loan rates against the Bank of England’s data series for the effective interest rates on new and existing unsecured personal loans. It is misleading to compare student loan interest rates to rates for mortgages or other loans secured against assets.</p><p>We are determined that the cost of living should not deter those from less advantaged backgrounds from applying to and thriving at university a record number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds were accepted onto HE courses in 2021. Students can also benefit from many of the measures this government has taken to help with the cost of living, including raising the National Minimum Wage, reducing VAT, freezing alcohol and fuel duty, the Energy Rebate Scheme and capping the cost of energy.</p><p>We announced in February that we will be reducing interest rates for new borrowers and so from the 2023/24 academic year, new graduates will not, in real terms, repay more than they borrow. Alongside our wider reforms, this will help to make sure that students from all walks of life can continue to receive the highest-quality education from our world-leading HE sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 153740 153741 question first answered 25/04/2022 15:31:00 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1452197

registered interest
date	17/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Higher Education: Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to increase access to specialist higher education facilities for people with special educational needs and disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	141916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2022 answer text <p>This government believes it is important that disabled students receive an appropriate level of support wherever and whatever they choose to study and is committed to ensuring that all students with disabilities receive the support they need to enable them to study alongside their fellow students on an equal basis.</p><p>The government expects all higher education (HE) providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to be making reasonable adjustments for all disabled higher education students.</p><p>Wherever possible, disabled students should expect to have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their HE provider.</p><p>The support students need will relate to their impairment or impairments. The attached table shows numbers of disabled students by impairment type in the 2020/21 academic year.</p><p>Disabled Students’ Allowance is available in addition to the reasonable adjustments made by HE providers for the provision of more specialist support such as British Sign Language interpretation.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 25/03/2022 11:53:35 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan attachment 1 file name 141916_table_UK_domiciled_student_enrolments_by_disability_and_sex.pdf title 141916_table
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1366413

registered interest
date	05/11/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of childcare support available to full-time students who undertake paid work.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	70223
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2021 answer text <p>The government recognises the value of parents continuing in or returning to education and provides support to those enrolled in recognised higher education courses.</p><p> </p><p>Eligible student parents may be able to claim a Childcare Grant, which offers parents support with up to 85% of their childcare costs depending on their household income.</p><p> </p><p>The maximum Childcare Grant for the 2021/22 academic year is:</p><p> </p><ul><li>up to £179.62 a week for one child</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>up to £307.95 a week for two or more children.</li></ul><p> </p><p>In further education, the Care to Learn scheme contributes towards childcare and related travel costs while young parents are in education.</p><p> </p><p>All parents aged under 20 who meet Care to Learn residency criteria and engage in directly publicly funded education or training (except higher education) can apply if they are the main carer and in receipt of child benefit for their child.</p><p> </p><p>The maximum amount that can be claimed is £175 per child per week in London and £160 per child per week elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 15/11/2021 13:14:18 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1277623

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Basic Skills: Qualifications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to universities on accepting students unable to obtain functional skills qualifications during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	138862
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2021 answer text <p>The government is working closely with partners across the education sector, and with higher education (HE) providers, to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and the disruption it has caused to young people’s education, including for those who will be applying to university for the 2021/22 academic year.</p><p>The joint consultation between Ofqual and the Department for Education on alternative arrangements for the award of vocational and technical qualifications and other general qualifications in 2021 was published on 15 January. It seeks views on the department’s position that functional skills qualification assessments should continue to take place remotely or in line with public health guidelines where possible, and that alternative arrangements should be introduced for those learners who are unable to access assessments.</p><p>We are encouraging universities to be flexible when making offers to individual students whose education has been disproportionally and adversely impacted from the COVID-19 outbreak in order to ensure that these students are able to receive fair offers for 2021.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 22/01/2021 13:43:13 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1240358

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Vetting: Overseas Students
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an immigration checking service for Student Finance to check student eligibility similar to that of the employer checking service.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	98871
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>Where necessary, the Student Loans Company (SLC) seeks information from the Home Office to establish whether an individual meets the personal eligibility requirements for student support. The information that the SLC requires from the Home Office varies, but often includes the individual’s immigration status (including the date of the grant) and confirmation that they have been ordinarily (lawfully) resident in the UK and Islands during a specified period. In some circumstances, a more extensive immigration history is requested.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 16/10/2020 17:04:33 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1174342

registered interest
date	29/01/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Speech and Language Therapy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to map speech and language therapy provision across the UK.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	9588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2020 answer text <p>We are committed to supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). This government has increased local authorities’ high needs funding by £780 million in 2020-21, boosting the budget by 12% and bringing the total spent on supporting those with the most complex needs to over £7 billion for 2020-21.</p><p> </p><p>Speech and Language therapists working with children in England are employed by local authorities, the health service or directly by schools, in response to children’s and young people’s needs in each area. For this reason the Department does not map services centrally.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 03/02/2020 17:41:02 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1150551

registered interest
date	17/10/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupil Premium: Special Guardianship Orders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make all children who have been subject to a special guardianship order eligible for pupil premium funding.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	1539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2019 answer text <p>Since 2015-16, schools in England have been receiving £2,300 of pupil premium plus funding for each child recorded on their census as having left the care of an English or Welsh local authority on a special guardianship order.</p><p> </p><p>Children who are subject to a special guardianship order, without having been in local authority care, attract pupil premium if they have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years. Schools receive £1,320 for eligible primary-aged pupils and £935 for secondary-aged pupils.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 25/10/2019 13:58:38 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1146689

registered interest
date	26/09/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to address the disparity in the provision of SEND support for children between different areas and local authorities in England in the upcoming Review into Support for Children with Special Educational Needs.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	291226
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/10/2019 answer text <p>The department is aware of the disparity which exists in the provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support between different areas of the country and has taken a number of steps to understand and address the issue.</p><p>For example, we have recently announced an additional £700 million for children with SEND in 2020-21, so every pupil can access the education that is right for them, and none are held back from reaching their potential. This represents an increase of over 11% on the funding available this year, bringing the total high needs funding budget to over £7 billion.</p><p>We are analysing responses to a call for evidence about the SEND and alternative provision financial arrangements in England. This will help us understand how the current available funding is distributed, and what improvements could be made in future.</p><p>We have also asked Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to inspect all local areas, over a 5 year period, on how effectively they are fulfilling their duties for children and young people with SEND. Where any significant local weaknesses are identified, the department’s SEND advisers work with NHS England to provide tailored support and challenge to the local authority and Clinical Commissioning Groups. They will also signpost them to funded training opportunities and resources delivered by external contractors to maximise their impact. The local areas are revisited by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to assess their progress over an 18 month period and the department may initiate formal intervention activities in a local area where necessary.</p><p>On 6 September 2019, the government announced the launch of a cross-cutting review of SEND provision, 5 years on from the launch of Children and Families Act 2014. The review will include education, health and care, and will allow the department to revisit consistency of support across different local areas and consider what further action may be required.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 03/10/2019 18:00:26 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan previous answer version 136488 answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe