Students Awards (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Withholding and reduction of payments

20.—(1) Without prejudice to paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 4 in the case of any student who is for the time being in default of any requirement to provide such information as is described in regulation 14, the board may withhold, in part, any payment due to him in respect of maintenance and calculated in accordance with regulation 13, 15 or 16.

(2) In respect of any period—

(a)after the termination of an award;

(b)during which a student is excluded by the academic authority from attendance at the course; or

(c)during which a student is absent without leave from his course,

any payment otherwise due in pursuance of the award shall be reduced by the aggregate amount mentioned in paragraph (4).

(3) In respect of any other period being—

(a)a period during which a student is absent from his course (other than a period of not more than 28 days due to illness); or

(b)where an award held in respect of one course is transferred in pursuance of paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 4 so as to be held in respect of another course, a period during which the student is not required to attend either course (other than the period of a single vacation); or

(c)a period during which the student is detained in pursuance of an order made by any court,

the board may reduce any payment otherwise due in pursuance of the award by such amount, not exceeding the aggregate amount mentioned in paragraph (4), as having regard to all relevant circumstances it considers appropriate.

(4) The amount referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3) is the aggregate of—

(a)fees otherwise due that are not payable by reason of the student’s non-attendance; and

(b)the appropriate proportion of the balance of any amount in respect of maintenance payable for a year in pursuance of regulation 12(1)(b).

(5) In determining the appropriate proportion under (4)(b) the board shall disregard the first 28 days of any period of absence due to illness.