Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Student Finance England on the (a) ease of access to and (a) adequacy its customer services.

Student Finance England (SFE) is part of the Student Loans Company (SLC). The SLC is a wholly owned government company which delivers student finance services to students on behalf of the four UK Governments (the shareholders).

The department is responsible for oversight of the SLC, and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills meets regularly with the SLC chair and chief executive. Alongside the other shareholders, the department sets key performance targets in the SLC Annual Performance and Resource Agreement. These targets include measures for customer service and satisfaction and are monitored at the SLC Board and through Board committees. The department and the shareholders scrutinise data relating to the quality of customer experience, including call response times and contact resolution.

Since the 2022/23 financial year the SLC has invested in improving its digital platforms for students and customers. Customers now have a variety of options to contact the SLC, including online account interactions, virtual assistants, live chat, social media and by telephone or in writing.

The SLC reports on customer satisfaction targets for applicants, students, sponsors, and customers in its Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/slc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024/slc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024.