Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the rising cost of fuel on students in the UK.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis.

We recognise the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.

We have boosted our student premium by £15 million to help students who need extra support. This extra funding, now totalling £276 million, will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.

The department has continued to increase maximum loans and grants each year with a 2.3% increase for the 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24.

Loans can support with students’ living costs while attending university. the highest levels of support is targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the 2022/23 financial year has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from high energy bills this winter, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers.