Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of effective marginal deduction rates exceeding 50 per cent on Plan 2 student loan borrowers’ labour supply, including decisions on a) overtime, b) hours worked and c) promotions.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by the previous government and, given the inherited fiscal situation, the department is making tough but necessary decisions.
Graduates only begin repaying their student loan once earnings exceed the earnings threshold, after which they pay 9% of income above that level. At the end of the tax year, a borrower with total earnings below the annual student loan repayment threshold, may reclaim any repayments made where a pay period threshold was exceeded.
If earnings fall below the repayment threshold, borrowers are not required to make repayments, regardless of their plan. Any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the (a) average repayment duration and (b) total interest paid over the life of the loan for (i) male and (ii) female Plan 2 student loan borrowers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The median repayment duration of loans for students in the final cohort of Plan 2 borrowers, those who commenced study in the 2022/23 academic year, is 30 years. This is consistent with the average borrower in this cohort not being forecast to fully repay their loan and instead have some loan debt written off after 30 years. Information on repayment behaviour for this cohort is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.
The department does not hold figures comparing the lifetime repayment duration for male and female Plan 2 borrowers or the total interest paid over the life of the loan.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting the annual level of student maintenance support at a level equivalent to a year's salary paid at the National Living Wage for a 36 hour week.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university. However, it is essential we keep our higher education system financially sustainable.
To help students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds progress and excel in higher education, we are future proofing our maintenance offer by increasing loans for living costs in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This approach ensures that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support and provides long term certainty on the financial support students will receive while studying.
The department will also provide extra support for care leavers, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rate of loan from the 2026/27 academic year.
Additionally, we are reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants, providing disadvantaged students with up to £1,000 extra per year on top of existing loans for living costs from the 2028/29 academic year.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to the Cabinet Office press release, Young people from all backgrounds to get opportunity to study abroad as UK-EU deal unlocks Erasmus+, of 17 December 2025, whether the 30 per cent discount will apply after the 2027-28 academic year.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We have successfully negotiated fair terms for the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027, the final year of the EU’s 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.
Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework will need to be agreed in the future and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the legislative provisions of the European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities, COM/2025/545 final, July 2025, Article 18, will apply to UK participation in the Erasmus+ programme as a third country.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The document referred to is a proposal and is not currently law.
The UK will be utilising EU funds, and so EU legislation relating to their use may apply in certain circumstances.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the long-term fiscal impact of replacing RPI with CPI for Plan 2 student loan interest.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Interest rates on student loans have been consistently linked to a widely recognised and adopted measure of inflation. Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) (from the previous March) and are applied annually on 1 September until 31 August.
The Office for National Statistics has undertaken a substantial programme of work over the past two years to enhance how inflation is measured and this will be carried over into student loans. The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed that from 2030 (at the earliest), movements in RPI will be aligned with Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs as viewed here: https://obr.uk/box/the-long-run-difference-between-rpi-and-cpi-inflation/.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had recent correspondence with universities on the enforcement of freedom of speech guidelines.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has not had recent correspondence with universities on the enforcement of the free speech duties. This answer does not cover any correspondence which the Office for Students may have had with universities on enforcement of freedom of speech.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to help ensure the Turing scheme funds cooperation, research, tool-building and shared training systems across countries in Europe.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There are no plans to change the scope of the Turing Scheme, including the sectors in which it operates. The Turing Scheme is global by design and has supported placements in over 160 countries. The Turing Scheme already provides inclusion support through extra funding for students with special educational needs and disabilities, additional support needs (in Scotland) and additional learning needs (in Wales). The government keeps the scope of the Turing Scheme under review, and decisions on the Turing Scheme for future years will be shared in due course.
Our association to Erasmus+ will open up opportunities for learners, educators, young people and communities. It is an investment in opportunity for our young people, our workforce and our future, opening doors for tens of thousands across the UK.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for extending Turing funding to youth work, adult learning, community development and sport in line with the Erasmus+ scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There are no plans to change the scope of the Turing Scheme, including the sectors in which it operates. The Turing Scheme is global by design and has supported placements in over 160 countries. The Turing Scheme already provides inclusion support through extra funding for students with special educational needs and disabilities, additional support needs (in Scotland) and additional learning needs (in Wales). The government keeps the scope of the Turing Scheme under review, and decisions on the Turing Scheme for future years will be shared in due course.
Our association to Erasmus+ will open up opportunities for learners, educators, young people and communities. It is an investment in opportunity for our young people, our workforce and our future, opening doors for tens of thousands across the UK.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered adding funding rules, inclusion support and non-formal learning approaches to the Turing scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There are no plans to change the scope of the Turing Scheme, including the sectors in which it operates. The Turing Scheme is global by design and has supported placements in over 160 countries. The Turing Scheme already provides inclusion support through extra funding for students with special educational needs and disabilities, additional support needs (in Scotland) and additional learning needs (in Wales). The government keeps the scope of the Turing Scheme under review, and decisions on the Turing Scheme for future years will be shared in due course.
Our association to Erasmus+ will open up opportunities for learners, educators, young people and communities. It is an investment in opportunity for our young people, our workforce and our future, opening doors for tens of thousands across the UK.