Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Student Loan Company on the calculation formula used to determine overseas earnings thresholds for student loan repayments for English and Welsh students who live abroad or work for a foreign employer.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The repayment of student loans is governed by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended). The regulations set out the calculation formula to determine overseas repayment thresholds for student loan repayments. A change in the calculation formula would require a legislative amendment.
Ahead of each financial year, in line with the regulations, the department calculates the updated repayment thresholds to apply for English borrowers residing outside of the UK, including those resident in the USA, and provides these to the Student Loan Company (SLC), who administer the loan accounts.
Student loan repayments are income contingent. To take account of differences in living costs in different countries, overseas repayment thresholds are determined by each country’s price level index (PLI) data, as published by the World Bank and updated annually. PLI data provides a measure of the differences in the general price levels of countries and, therefore, represents a relative cost of living between countries, enabling a fair threshold to be set.
Based on PLI data, countries are placed into different “bands” reflecting their cost of living relative to other countries and to the UK. As the relative cost of living in different countries varies over time, individual countries may move between bands following an annual threshold update. Where PLI data for a country is not available, the department may determine the applicable PLI value for that country by reference to a comparable country.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Student Loan Company on the calculation formula used to determine overseas earnings thresholds for student loan repayments for English and Welsh students who live in the US or work for a US employer.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The repayment of student loans is governed by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended). The regulations set out the calculation formula to determine overseas repayment thresholds for student loan repayments. A change in the calculation formula would require a legislative amendment.
Ahead of each financial year, in line with the regulations, the department calculates the updated repayment thresholds to apply for English borrowers residing outside of the UK, including those resident in the USA, and provides these to the Student Loan Company (SLC), who administer the loan accounts.
Student loan repayments are income contingent. To take account of differences in living costs in different countries, overseas repayment thresholds are determined by each country’s price level index (PLI) data, as published by the World Bank and updated annually. PLI data provides a measure of the differences in the general price levels of countries and, therefore, represents a relative cost of living between countries, enabling a fair threshold to be set.
Based on PLI data, countries are placed into different “bands” reflecting their cost of living relative to other countries and to the UK. As the relative cost of living in different countries varies over time, individual countries may move between bands following an annual threshold update. Where PLI data for a country is not available, the department may determine the applicable PLI value for that country by reference to a comparable country.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the calculation formula used to determine overseas earnings thresholds for student loan repayments for English and Welsh students who live overseas or work for a foreign employer was last revised.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The repayment of student loans is governed by the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2009 (as amended). The regulations set out the calculation formula to determine overseas repayment thresholds for student loan repayments. A change in the calculation formula would require a legislative amendment.
Ahead of each financial year, in line with the regulations, the department calculates the updated repayment thresholds to apply for English borrowers residing outside of the UK, including those resident in the USA, and provides these to the Student Loan Company (SLC), who administer the loan accounts.
Student loan repayments are income contingent. To take account of differences in living costs in different countries, overseas repayment thresholds are determined by each country’s price level index (PLI) data, as published by the World Bank and updated annually. PLI data provides a measure of the differences in the general price levels of countries and, therefore, represents a relative cost of living between countries, enabling a fair threshold to be set.
Based on PLI data, countries are placed into different “bands” reflecting their cost of living relative to other countries and to the UK. As the relative cost of living in different countries varies over time, individual countries may move between bands following an annual threshold update. Where PLI data for a country is not available, the department may determine the applicable PLI value for that country by reference to a comparable country.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the Turing Scheme; whether that scheme will be UK-wide; whether universities will be required to make an application to be eligible for participation in the scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government fully recognises the benefits of international exchanges in education and training. We have worked closely with the Welsh Government as well as the other Devolved Administrations in designing the Turing Scheme and I plan to continue doing so as we move towards delivery.
With over £100 million allocated for the 2021/22 academic year, Turing will be a UK-wide scheme which students from the entire UK will be able to benefit from. More details of the scheme will be made available shortly, and in the coming weeks universities, colleges, and schools, as would have been the case with Erasmus+, will be invited to bid for funding to support student mobilities taking place from September 2021. In the meantime, education providers across the UK should begin preparations with international partners as soon as possible.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing compensation to schools that have been required to cancel planned foreign trips as a result of the covid-19 pandemic and have no insurance cover; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on that compensation.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools who have had to or are in the process of cancelling overseas or domestic trips should check with their travel agents or credit card companies regarding securing refunds in the first instance.
If unable to recoup their full costs from the above sources, those academies and schools signed up to the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) for schools (an alternative to commercial insurance) should contact the RPA scheme administrators, whilst those academies/schools not covered by this scheme should contact their individual insurance companies.
The Department is continuing to discuss the issue of school trip cancellation and cost recovery with key government partners and representative bodies of the travel and insurance sectors.
Furthermore, we continue to advise schools to review any/all future trip and travel plans that they may have in light of current government advice on travel and social distancing.
Insurance for schools is a matter for devolved administrations.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK's decision to leave the EU on the number of international students studying at UK higher education institutions.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Any effects on the number of potential Home, EU and non-EU students following the UK’s exit from the EU will be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.