FURTHER EDUCATION LOANS

Early day motion 289, tabled 28 June 2012 by Paul Blomfield (Labour). Signed by 52 members.

That this House is extremely concerned that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill's (BIS) own regulatory impact assessment for their proposed 24+ Advanced Learner Loans, due to be introduced next March, suggests that low take up of them could cause as many as 100,000 learners to drop out of Further Education (FE) and that BIS's own market research found only one in 10 adult learners would definitely take loans up andthat this would adversely hit women who make up over 60 per cent of enrolments at this level; recognises that these concerns come on top of stakeholder fears forcing adult apprentices to take out loans on an individual basis and also Access to HE learners having to take out first an FE loan and then an HE loan when they reach university; believes that if these issues are not addressed the Government risks creating a lost generation of adult learners and damaging FE colleges, courses and staff; and urges the Government to halt its break neck implementation of these plans and to rethink and revise its proposals in the light of these mounting concerns.

Signatures by party: Labour 49, Green 1, Liberal Democrat 1, Respect 1.