Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help older people access financial support for higher education.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch for courses starting in January 2027.

The LLE will transform the student finance system in England, broadening access to high-quality, flexible education and training across levels 4 to 6. It will support people to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives.

The LLE will fund all courses currently funded through the Higher Education Student Finance system and, for the first time, provide access to funding for modules as well as full courses.

All new learners will be able to access a full entitlement equal to 4 years of full-time tuition. Tuition fee loans will be available up to the age of 60. Learners over 60 may still qualify for maintenance support. The vast majority of the working population will therefore have access to this funding, supporting them to retrain and upskill.