The Department may make it a condition of entitlement to payment of any loan that the eligible or qualifying student must provide the Department with the student’s United Kingdom national insurance number.

Where the Department has imposed a condition under paragraph (1), the Department must not make any payment of the loan to the eligible or qualifying student before it is satisfied that the student has complied with that condition.

Despite paragraph (2), the Department may make a payment of loan to an eligible or qualifying student if the Department is satisfied that owing to exceptional circumstances it would be appropriate to make such a payment without the eligible or qualifying student having complied with the condition imposed under paragraph (1).