Ros in the Lords: Written Questions - Tuition Fees and Student Loans

Here's another of Ros's interventions that I hadn't covered, from 15 September 2011...

Ros is a former mature student, having taken her degree whilst leading the Liberal Democrat group as part of the ruling administration in Suffolk. As a result, she takes an keen interest in matters relating to mature students, and received the answers to the following two questions...

Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat)

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding of university tuition fees for, and repayment of loans by, mature students taking first degrees varies from that which applies to other students.

Lord Henley (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Conservative)

Mature students taking first degrees are eligible for the same package of funding of their university tuition fees as other students, and are subject to the same rules in relation to the repayment of their loans.

Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat)

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether outstanding student debts will be written off when a mature student reaches retirement age.

Lord Henley (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Conservative)

Under the current system of income-contingent repayment (ICR) student loans, any outstanding loan balances will be cancelled in the following circumstances:

if a borrower dies; or if a borrower receives a disability benefit and because of the disability is permanently unfit for work; or (a) for those who entered higher education before 1 September 2006: when the borrower reaches the age of 65, (b) for those who entered higher education on or after 1 September 2006: 25 years after their statutory repayment due date.

Under the new system of ICR loans being introduced for students entering higher education from 1 September 2012, any outstanding loan balances will be written off in the following circumstances:

if a borrower dies; or if a borrower receives a disability benefit and because of the disability is permanently unfit for work; or 30 years after their statutory repayment due date.