Oral QuestionDepartment for Education

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the cost of living for students.

Tabled: 14 April 2026Answered: 20 April 2026

Asked by

Abtisam Mohamed

LabourSheffield Central

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Education

Answer from Hansard

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)

We know that students and graduates have been left facing the sharp end of the cost of living crisis. That is why we are making the system fairer for students, graduates and taxpayers by capping interest rates, future-proofing maintenance loans, reintroducing maintenance grants and making care leavers automatically eligible for maximum support. With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will share that we are concerned about students affected by providers’ misclassification of weekend courses. As Ministers, we have asked the Student Loans Company to collect any overpayments through normal student finance repayments and pause recoveries of overpaid grants until at least September while we consider the next steps.