Clause 5
Sale of Student Loans Bill
5:30 pm
John Hayes (Shadow Minister, Innovation, Universities and Skills; South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
There are issues about who might act as a collector on behalf of the loan purchaser. Clause 5(2)(a) stipulates
“collection by a person acting on behalf of a loan purchaser”.
We have some doubt about that. Some reassurances were offered during our earlier considerations, but it would be useful to put those on the record again here. The anxiety is that the collection agent should be the Student Loans Company, or someone directly accountable to it; that the line of accountability should not be stretched to a point where graduates are disadvantaged.
Clause 5(2)(b) concerns the issue of Her Majesty’s Commissioners for Revenue and Customs. Regarding the repayment of loans by people who are not resident in the United Kingdom, I wonder whether we should firm up the fact that the power to collect student loans lies with HMRC and the Student Loans Company, and not another agent. That was discussed at some length during our deliberations this morning, but these are important matters for popular reassurance. I hope that the Minister will clarify and amplify some of the points that he made during that earlier scrutiny.