Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) clarity of the information provided to prospective students about the terms of Plan 2 student loans at the point of application.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had access to a wide range of information across a range of platforms before they submit their loan application.
Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans. Students sign these terms and conditions before any money is paid to them.
The student finance system is designed to function differently to a commercial loan. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, not on amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, Plan 2 student loans are cancelled after 30 years, regardless of outstanding balances.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether regional cost-of-living variations will be factored into proposed maintenance grant calculations.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises the impact that cost-of-living pressures are having on students. This is why we are reintroducing means-tested maintenance grants from the 2028/29 academic year, providing students with up to £1,000 extra support each year, regardless of their location. We will also increase maintenance loans by 2.71% in 2026/27, bringing maximum amounts to £14,135 for students living away from home and studying in London, £10,830 for students living away from home and studying outside London and £9,118 for students living at home.
We are developing options to address regional disparities in entering higher education for disadvantaged students through a new Access and Participation Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Derby. We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to encourage universities to collaborate with local authorities on strategic approaches to meeting student housing needs.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the appropriateness of maintaining student loan repayment thresholds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
These loans were designed and implemented by previous governments, and the department is having to make hard choices to balance taxpayer and borrower interests to ensure that the student finance system remains sustainable.
Unlike commercial loans, student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. If a borrower is earning above the repayment threshold and their income stays the same, then their repayments will remain the same.
Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.
Those earning below the earnings threshold do not make repayments. Any outstanding loan including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the RPI plus 3 per cent interest rate on Plan 2 student loan debt on the ability of graduates earning the UK median wage to begin to pay down their outstanding student loan debt.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Plan 2 interest rates vary with income when the borrower has left study and is in repayment. The lower interest threshold, below which borrowers are charged an interest rate of RPI+0%, is currently £28,470. Interest then increases on a sliding scale to RPI+3% for borrowers earning over the higher interest threshold (currently £51,245). This ensures that, post-study, only borrowers earning higher incomes are charged RPI+3 interest.
Student loan repayments are made based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly earnings, not the interest rate or amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Plan 2 student loan borrowers there are resident in Stroud.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As of 30 April 2025, there were approximately 19,000 (to the nearest 1000) Plan 2 student loan borrowers with a positive loan balance registered with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to postcodes which fall wholly or partly within the local authority area of Stroud District Local Authority.
This will include borrowers who were resident in Stroud, including at parental addresses, when they applied for the loan and have not informed the SLC of a subsequent change of address.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidential basis her department is using to promote resource bases for pupils with specialist needs in mainstream schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for West Suffolk to the answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 103940.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has assessed the adequacy of financial investment in (a) weekend, (b) short-break fostering and (c) supported lodgings.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We have announced an ambitious reform programme to urgently address the sharp decline in foster carers and modernise fostering.
We are investing £88 million over the next two financial years to transform the foster care system. That will include direct action to recruit and retain a wide range of foster carers, including weekend and short-break foster carers.
This investment includes an innovation programme supported by £12.4 million to scale and spread new and existing models of care, including different models of foster care that push at the boundaries of how we achieve better results for children. This programme can also include initiatives that make greater use of supported lodgings to enable older children, where appropriate, to live more independently.
Our policy paper also sets out plans to ensure that carers can rely on their own trusted networks, and to tackle unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that carers often face when attempting to do this. The policy paper is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewing-fostering-homes-for-10000-more-children.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the long-term career progression of graduates who are not in high-skilled employment 15 months after graduation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The latest higher education (HE) Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation.
Latest ‘Graduate Labour Market Statistics’ data show that in 2024, 79.0% of working age postgraduates and 67.9% of graduates were in high-skilled employment, an increase compared to 2023.
Further, research suggests that the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from HE over their lifetime. Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking steps to ensure graduates are ready for work.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 108145 on Graduates: Employment, how many higher education providers are currently at risk of regulatory intervention.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As the independent regulator of higher education, the Office for Students makes independent decisions about regulatory interventions.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she has issued to (a) Health and Social Care Trusts and (b) fostering service providers on the treatment of foster care allowances in the assessment of Universal Credit; and what steps she is taking to ensure that potential foster carers are given full information to make an informed decision on becoming a carer.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Fostering is a devolved issue. Guidance to Health and Social Care Trusts is a matter for the devolved Northern Irish government.
The department funds Fosterline, which provides guidance on Universal Credit to fostering services and to prospective and current foster carers in England.
In England, the government sets the National Minimum Allowance to cover carers’ day‑to‑day caring costs. Fostering income is disregarded when determining eligibility for Universal Credit.
During discussions with a Department for Work & Pensions work coach, foster carer support can be tailored by recording that they are an approved foster carer and looking after children.
English fostering standards make clear that carers should receive clear information about the financial support they will receive before they start looking after a child. The department has also launched a call for evidence which included questions on financial transparency, to improve the understanding and consistency of financial support that is available to foster carers.