6.—(1) The Scottish Ministers must make a loan in accordance with these Regulations in respect of each liable student who applies for a loan in accordance with regulation 7 for the purposes of discharging his or her liability to pay the graduate endowment.
(2) A liable student shall be eligible for such a loan subject to paragraph (3).
(3) The Scottish Ministers may make it a condition of entitlement to payment of any loan that the liable student must provide them with the liable student’s United Kingdom national insurance number.
(4) Where the Scottish Ministers have imposed a condition under paragraph (3), they must not make any payment of the loan to the liable student before they are satisfied that the liable student has complied with that condition.
(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (4), the Scottish Ministers may make a payment of loan to a liable student if they are satisfied that owing to exceptional circumstances it would be appropriate to make such a payment without the liable student having complied with the condition imposed under paragraph (3).