Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of finance options available to student nurses; and if he will make a statement.

From 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and allied health students will no longer receive NHS bursaries. Instead, they will have access to the same student loans system as other students.

We intend that students studying nursing, midwifery and the allied health subjects as a second degree will also be able to get student loans.

The change will only affect new students commencing their courses from 1 August 2017.

We plan to run a consultation in early 2016 to ask how we can successfully deliver the reforms.

Under the loans system, students on nursing, midwifery and allied health courses will receive around a 25% increase in the financial support available to them for living costs. The precise change for individuals will be dependent on their circumstances – for example, where they study, the length of the course, income and residency.