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Proceeding contribution from Baroness Sharp of Guildford (Liberal Democrat) in the House of Lords on Thursday, 8 May 2008. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee proceeding on Sale of Student Loans Bill.


Sale of Student Loans Bill

I am very grateful to the Minister for her reply. I am particularly delighted that she will take away Amendment No. 4 and think further about it. It would be good to get that in the Bill. It seems to me that the reassurance given to borrowers under Amendment No. 4 is less important than the reassurance in Amendments Nos. 2 and 3. Amendment No. 3 is not my amendment. I use the term ““loan arrangements””. It really should be ““loan regulations””. Therefore Amendment No. 3 is the preferable amendment of those two. Ministers have given us very clear commitments that there is no intention whatever that the purchaser should have any influence over these loan regulations. There is a great fear that when a loan is sold on to a commercial purchaser, they will seek to maximise the benefit that they might get out of it. If we need to reassure borrowers, this is the big issue that they will be worried about. Information is a not unimportant issue. It is appropriate that the Government should tell borrowers what has happened to their loans, but it is more important that reassurance that the terms of repayment will not be altered by the purchaser is incorporated in the Bill. I urge the Minister perhaps to think more about that.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
701 c176-7GC 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
Subjects
Cost effectiveness Assets Graduates Privatisation Loans Repayments Students Revenue and Customs Student Loans Company
Legislation
Sale of Student Loans Bill 2007-08
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk