Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms exist to provide an independent review of decisions by the Student Loans Company to recover alleged outstanding loan balances arising from administrative errors by public bodies; and whether she has assessed the adequacy of those mechanisms in cases where borrowers were previously informed that their accounts had been settled.

In instances where the Student Loan Company’s (SLC) internal appeals and complaints process has been exhausted, borrowers may appeal to the Independent Assessors (IA). IAs are appointed by ministers to review any appeals and complaints made against the SLC and their independence from the SLC provides assurance that the process to consider complaints and appeals is sufficiently rigorous.

In cases where an outstanding balance is identified after a borrower believes they have settled their account in full, regulations provide the SLC with the ability to restart repayments where appropriate. Any action taken will be subject to the circumstances of the individual case and relevant policy considerations.