§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average level of student debt is after a three year course in higher education. [134686]
§ Mr. WicksThe average debt of a borrower with a mortgage-style student loan entering repayment at the start of the financial year 1999–2000, the latest date for which data are available, was £3,210.
Information on private sector debt such as overdrafts and other commercial loans is not available centrally.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received about the student loan repayment administration regulations. [134723]
§ Mr. WicksThe regulations governing the repayment of student loans through the tax system from April 2000 were subject to wide consultation. We received a number of helpful suggestions from employer representatives about new arrangements, which are aligned closely to the administration of tax and national insurance. We have announced that we will conduct a review of the impact of the regulations on small businesses in July 2001 and we plan to conduct a full evaluation of the scheme in 2003.