The Education (Supply of Student Support Information to Governing Bodies) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Article 13 of the Higher Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (“the 2005 Order”) gives the Department the power to make Regulations providing for a student support authority to supply student support information of a prescribed description to a prescribed person for a prescribed purpose.

A “student support authority” includes: the Department, any Education and Library Board or governing body to whom student support functions have been transferred under Article 4(1) of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (“the 1998 Order”) and a person to whom student support functions have been delegated under Article 4(3) of the 1998 Order.

These Regulations enable the Department, Education and Library Boards to whom student support functions have been transferred and the Student Loans Company (being a person to whom functions have been delegated under Article 4(3) of the 1998 Order) to supply information provided in connection with an application for student support either by the student himself or his sponsors to governing bodies of institutions providing courses which are designated for the purposes of the student support scheme. The Regulations also enable these student support authorities to supply to governing bodies information which is derived from the application, such as whether the student is an eligible student within the meaning of the student support scheme or the amount of student support payable to the student under that scheme.

This information may only be supplied for the purpose of assisting governing bodies to determine whether a student who has applied for student support is eligible for a bursary (or other form of financial assistance) offered by the relevant institution and the amount of the bursary or other financial assistance payable to that student and also, if relevant, to make the necessary payment to the student.

No information may be supplied under these Regulations without, in the case of information provided by the applicant or derived from the application, the applicant’s consent and, in the case of information provided by the sponsor, the sponsor’s consent.