Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Education (Student Support) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (“the 2009 Regulations”). The 2009 Regulations provide for financial support for students taking designated higher education courses in respect of an academic year beginning on or after 1st September 2010.

These Regulations make minor policy and technical changes to the 2009 Regulations and these changes are set out in the paragraphs below. These Regulations also, by regulation 14 and the Schedule, set out the increased payment rates for fee loans, grants for fees and fee contribution loans for full-time courses and sandwich courses which apply from 1st September 2012.

Regulation 3 omits regulation 14(6) of the 2009 Regulations as it refers to The Education (Student Support) (Dance and Drama) Regulations 1998 which have now been revoked as there are no longer any students receiving support under these.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 25 of the 2009 Regulations to make separate provision for the maximum fee support available for courses provided by or on behalf of a publicly funded institution and those provided by a private institution.

Regulation 5 substitutes regulation 99 of the 2009 Regulations to provide for the introduction of three points of liability for the payment of fee loans at the start of each term to replace the current single point of liability which is reached three months after the commencement of the academic year. Regulation 6 inserts a new regulation 99A into the 2009 Regulations to make separate provision for the payment of fee contribution loans so that the current payment arrangements, including a single point of liability, are retained.

Regulations 7 and 8 amend regulations 102 and 103 of the 2009 Regulations to allow overpayments of fee loans to be recovered from students in respect of whom the payment of fee support was made or from the relevant academic authority.

Regulations 9 to 12 amend regulations 113(5) and 131(5) of the 2009 Regulations to extend the deadline for part-time and full-time distance learning student support applications from six months to nine months which is consistent with the existing deadline for full-time student support applications.

Regulation 13 amends the definition of “parent” in Schedule 2 to the 2009 Regulations to remove any reference to “any person having care of a child”.

An impact assessment has not been prepared in respect of this instrument as it has no impact on the cost of business, charities or voluntary bodies.