Written question asked by Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Young of Norwood Green (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 December 2009.

Disabled People: Student Allowance

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the administration of the disabled students' allowance was transferred from local authorities to the StudentLoans Company; and whether any difficulties were anticipated when that decision was made.

Answer: In 2005, a review of student finance delivery arrangements in England was carried out which took on board views from a wide range of stakeholders and customers. This was followed by independent appraisal and consultation with key stakeholders on the review recommendations. A key finding of the review was that, while some bad authorities were performing well, the level of service was variable. It was concluded that a step change could only be achieved by making a single organisation responsible for both the assessment and payment of HE students' grants and loans coupled with other process and technological improvements. That decision was announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 3 July 2006. The Student Loans Company (SLC) consulted a Targeted Support Stakeholder Panel about the design of processes for students with disabilities on 24 June 2008, 23 October 2008 and 8 June 2009, to scrutinise the SLC's plans, proposals and offer guidance and advice. Discussions at these meetings included an overview of the new student finance service and a summary of planned changes for 2009-10 academic cycle in addition to workshops focusing on key support requirements of targeted support applicants.

Secondary information