The Student Loans Company Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17
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The Student Loans Company Annual Report and Accounts 2016 -17 Student Loans Company FY16 -17 in numbers Applications Processed 1.8 MILLIO N Income Contingent Fraud Prevented and Direct Repayments £16.3 £2.4 MILLION £ BILLION Maintenance Loans FE / HE Provider and Grants paid Tuition Fees paid £7.8 £9.4 BILLIO N BILLIO N Fraud Return Loan Book Value on Investment £101.2 13:1 BILLIO N Contents 01 Chairman’s Statement 4 02 Chief Executive Officer’s Foreword 6 03 About the Student Loans Company 12 04 Strategic Report 18 05 Remuneration and Staff Report 40 06 Governance Statement 50 07 Directors’ Report and Financial Statements 64 08 Independent Assessors’ Annual Reports 106 01 Chairman’s Statement 01. Chairman’s Statement On 1 June 2016, Steve Lamey The input and constructive was appointed as CEO to lead challenge by the Non-Executive on the Student Loans Company Directors, along with other (SLC) 2020 Strategy development stakeholders in the Higher and process. He involved the broadest Further Education sectors, has possible range of stakeholders in resulted in a strategy that is the development, from University imbued with a clear logic and Vice Chancellors to customer strong rationale that is understood advisers on our help desks. and supported by the entire Board, our stakeholders and our At the same time as welcoming staff. Ultimately, however, it will be a new Chief Executive, the through the lens of our customers senior team at SLC has quickly and their end-to-end experience established a strong working of our service that we will be relationship with their opposite judged. If we achieve that then it numbers in a new sponsor team follows that our stakeholders will at the Department for Education be satisfied that we have delivered (DfE), following the machinery of our mission and done so in During the year under review, Government changes at Whitehall accordance with our vision. I have worked with two Chief in the summer of 2016. Executive Officers (CEO), through In my Statement in last year’s a period of uncertainty, followed Annual Report I welcomed five by the start of the development new Non-Executive Directors of a significant operational and to the Board and spoke about strategic change programme. the vital part they play in our I would like to record my thanks governance and oversight to David Wallace for providing mechanisms. I have been continuity and leadership over a impressed and grateful in equal seven month period spanning the measure for the commitment end of the last financial year and they have shown this year, the first two months of the year particularly their participation in under review, during the search for the development of the SLC2020 the new CEO. Strategy. 4 The Student Loans Company Annual Report 2016-17 Chairman’s Statement 01 “SLC will deliver outstanding digital products and services to its customers and stakeholders and will respond effectively, quickly and flexibly to the demands of Ministers and policymakers at the Department for Education and the devolved administrations.” We have continued to deliver our of the current fee loans model or Peter Lauener recently retired core purpose in the year under changes in customer behaviour from a long and successful senior review but we recognise the need or expectations would have career with DfE, latterly as CEO of 01. for further development to support repercussions for SLC. the Education and Skills Funding the implementation of future Agency. The search for a new On 11 July 2017, Steve Lamey Government policy, particularly permanent CEO is under way. was suspended from his duties Chairman’s Statement as policies continue to diverge in as CEO and Accounting Officer I am certain that SLC will face other domiciles within the UK. The pending an investigation into continuing pressures and I will implementation of the SLC2020 concerns which had been raised. be working alongside our Interim Strategy should allow us greater On the same day David Wallace CEO to press the UK Government flexibility across all policy areas (Deputy CEO and Chief Customer and the Devolved Administrations and associated systems. Officer) was appointed as Acting for the best outcomes for SLC as Our responsibility for the effective CEO and Accounting Officer. we seek to invest in our future to administration of the loan book enable us to better serve students On 7 November 2017, following and the debt sale that took investing in theirs. investigations into allegations place in December 2017 placed about aspects of his management further responsibility on SLC and leadership Steve Lamey’s to provide high quality data, contract as CEO and his formal evidence of security measures appointment as Accounting Christian Brodie and a repayment strategy that Officer were terminated. SLC and Chairman maximises collections to UK its shareholders expected the Government Investments (UKGI), highest standards of management HM Treasury and the DfE. and leadership and these were not SLC does not exist in a vacuum upheld by Mr Lamey. and as Chairman I am mindful Peter Lauener was appointed that in addition to the matters as Interim CEO and Accounting described above, there are Officer with effect from 29 also events that are beyond November 2017. David Wallace our control, but nonetheless continued as Acting CEO and must be acknowledged and any Accounting Officer until Peter potential risks recorded and started before reverting back to managed appropriately. In the his substantive post as Deputy last year we added the impact CEO and Chief Customer Officer. of the EU referendum and the The SLC Board would like to put potential for another Scottish on record our thanks to David Independence Referendum to Wallace for his excellent work as the Risk Register. Similarly, we Acting CEO during Steve Lamey’s acknowledged that any changes suspension. to student funding policy or concerns around the sustainability 5 02 Chief Executive Officer’s Foreword 02. Chief Executive Officer’s Foreword domiciles to reflect the different Our new strategy has been heavily models of student support that influenced by listening to staff, have been developed. The scale stakeholders, shareholders and of this operation is striking and Government officials testing our I have been very impressed as I understanding of the strengths, take over as Interim CEO to find weaknesses, opportunities and an organisation delivering well threats facing the Company. against some challenging targets This was an important first step and with firm plans to improve as we needed to be clear what performance further in the period problems the Company is trying ahead. I am pleased to report that, to fix and how best to achieve the as well as managing the largest desired outcome for SLC and our The Chairman’s introduction sets policy-related change programme shareholders. out the unusual circumstances in our history and delivering a We also needed to recognise in which resulted in myself being successful academic cycle, we the strategy: asked to take on the role of have developed a new strategy Interim CEO at SLC from 29 for SLC that will put us in a strong • the increasingly divergent and November 2017. This means that position to meet future challenges. complex policies we need to my tenure started after the end develop and deliver for each Over the last few years, SLC has of the year that this report covers of the four UK Government had a track record of successful but I have taken full assurance administrations, delivery and this year was no from David Wallace, who capably exception. • a younger customer filled the role of Acting CEO before demographic (Generation me, as well as from my Chief In respect of the Academic Year Z and Generation Alpha) Financial Officer and others on the (AY) 16/17 we implemented who have a very different Executive Leadership Team that changes to student funding policy, expectation of the service these accounts are a true and fair with the shift from maintenance they receive from us than the account of the 2016-17 year. grants to loans, as well as students of 25 years ago, launching new product offerings SLC has a vital role in society in the student finance arena in the • a more mature and growing in 2016-17 we processed 1.8 shape of Post Graduate Loans in set of customers who will million applications advancing England, one of the Government’s leave study and move into £17.2 billion to help students flagship policies. repayment, invest in their future. By the end of the year the loan book value Our new strategy, called SLC2020, • a more diverse set of had reached £101 billion. To has been endorsed fully by the customers whose accessibility do this, SLC runs a very large SLC Board and approved by our requirements span language service delivery operation to Minister Jo Johnson, and the first and culture, as well as physical support the Government’s and elements of implementation will considerations. Devolved Administrations’ policies start during 2018. for students. We run different programmes across the four 6 The Student Loans Company Annual Report 2016-17 Chief Executive Officer’s Foreword02 For SLC to continue to be fit for Organisation Health and Digital Customer its purpose of delivering secure, Effectiveness accurate and efficient application, One of our objectives is to assessment, payment and To support the delivery of “Deliver an outstanding digital repayment services that enable the SLC2020 strategy a new customer experience” and we customers to invest in their target operating model is being have identified and scoped six futures, we will change the way implemented, underpinning a features that we will implement in SLC operates.