Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Government's proposal to freeze the earnings threshold for plan 2 student loans on the cost of attending university.

Freezing the repayment threshold will not affect the cost of attending university. It will mean that students, once earning, will on average meet a greater share of these costs over their working life through loan repayments, helping ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the system. Lower earning graduates below the repayment threshold will not be affected by the proposed changes.

Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold