Plea on loans sell-off

University heads have called for the Government to invest money from the sale of the student loans book in higher education. This week, the Government Bill that will lead to the start of a programme of student loan sales received its first reading in the House of Commons. The student loan book is worth about £18.1 billion and is expected to increase significantly over the next ten years. In a debate in the House of Lords, Baroness Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, called for at least some of the money raised to be ring-fenced for higher education.