§ Mr. Bryan DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what guidelines her Department issues to institutions of higher education regarding their responsibility to notify the Students Loans Company Ltd. of students who have ceased attendance on a course;
(2) what provisions exist for notifying the Student Loans Company of the circumstances of students who have temporarily withdrawn or deferred attendance on a higher education course but who have not permanently ceased to attend.
§ Mr. BoswellUnder the Education (Student Loans) (No.2) Regulations 1993, higher education institutions have a duty to notify the Student Loans Company promptly if a borrower ceases to be an eligible student before the end of his course. The guidelines issued to institutions state that when considering whether a student has ceased to attend a course, an institution should have regard to any internal regulations governing attendance. Institutions therefore have discretion to decide when a student has permanently ceased to attend.