Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Student Loans Company holds on the amount of additional money accrued by women while on maternity leave.

The department and the Student Loan Company do not hold information on the amount of additional money accrued by women while on maternity leave.

Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning under the repayment threshold, including while on statutory maternity leave, are not required to make repayments, however, interest will continue to accrue. When borrowers are on maternity leave, and earnings are below the earnings threshold, interest, across both plan 2 and plan 5, is applied at the Retail Price Index only.

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.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the 2025 Budget.