The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

These Regulations amend the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (S.R. 2000 No. 121) (“the principal Regulations”). Regulations 1, 2 and 3 come into operation on 14th September 2007. Regulation 4 comes into operation on 6th April 2008. The principal Regulations deal with the repayment of student loans paid to students under Article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 11 of the principal Regulations. Regulation 11 makes provision for the timing of repayments of student loans. Regulation 3 inserts a new provision enabling repayments made by employers to cease in the case of borrowers who have agreed to repay the loan in full via fixed instalments or a lump sum after a certain date.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 35 of the principal Regulations. Regulation 35 deals with the deduction from earnings of student loan repayments by employers of borrowers. It provides for employers to start and stop making deductions in accordance with notices from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The regulation states that employers must start and stop making deductions on the dates specified in the notice, which will be at least 14 days from the date of issue of the notice for employers with weekly payrolls and at least 42 days from that date in all other cases. Regulation 4 removes the 14 day and the 42 day lead in times in relation to start and stop notices. The employer is required to start making deductions on the first available pay day after the date specified in the start notice. The employer is to continue making such deductions up until the date specified in the stop notice. The employer is required to stop making deductions on the first available pay day after the date specified in the stop notice.