§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if an individual's income support entitlement is changed if their spouse is a mature student and takes out a full student loan from the Student Loan Company; and if the individual's income support entitlement is based on the assumption that the spouse will automatically take out a full student loan from the Students Loan Company when the spouse becomes a mature student. [21275]
§ Mr. Roger EvansFor income support purposes, student loans are treated as income and attract a disregard of £10 per week.
An individual's entitlement to income support would be affected if their spouse or partner was eligible for a student loan regardless of whether the loan had been taken out.
The individual's income support entitlement would be reassessed to take into account the maximum student loan that their spouse/partner could acquire by taking reasonable steps to do so.