Student Loan System
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Woodley
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I thank the noble Baroness and of course I will write to her, but I emphasise to the House that any remaining balance after 30 years is cancelled. No debt passes to family members or any descendants: that is something perhaps we have lost a bit of sight of today. I am happy to provide the information she requests, but it is imperative that universities step up to the plate and demonstrate the quality and outcomes of the education that they provide.
Lord Woodley (Lab)
My Lords, as we all know, there are no university tuition fees in Scotland and across most of Europe, while in England it is completely different. The average student loan repayment scheme at the moment in Scotland is £18,000 while in England it is £53,000, and it is not disloyal to ask my Government whether we think that balance is right. Does the Minister think we could do more to assist English students during this very difficult period?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
Of course, it is always instructive to compare different systems and work out the detail of this. Tuition fees—I am deliberately looking at the Benches opposite—have always been controversial. Having stood for Parliament in a seat with a predominantly student population and not been successful, I have some personal insight into this. However, we are where we are. We have a lot to learn from the experience of the last 14 or 15 years. Let us look at it calmly and sensibly, but keep the needs of our young people at the forefront of our minds.
Zero-emission Vehicle Mandate
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Woodley
Lord Woodley
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of bringing forward the deadline for requiring all new vehicles sold to be ‘zero emission’ from 2035 to 2030.
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
My Lords, accelerating to net zero is at the heart of our mission-driven Government, and this Government are taking action. All new cars and vans sold in the UK from 2035 will need to be fully zero-emission. We are not proposing to change this. However, we are committed to restoring the original 2030 phase-out date for new pure internal combustion engine cars, alongside setting out ways to support demand for zero-emission vehicles and accelerating the rollout of charge points.
Lord Woodley (Lab)
My Lords, I declare an interest as a former union convenor for the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port, where I still have family working. The Tory Government’s delay from 2030 to 2035 has thrown the industry into complete turmoil, as the Minister knows, after manufacturers invested billions to prepare for 2030. What the industry needs most of all now is flexibility as their vehicles disappear from sale, apart from fleet sales. For example, Vauxhall makes electric—