'Millions' in taxpayers' money owed by foreign students

Millions of pounds in taxpayers’ money wrongly awarded to foreign students is yet to be recovered, reports BBC News. A total of £2.45 million (US$3.7 million) in loans and grants was given to individuals at alternative higher education providers, due to proper checks not being in place.

The Student Loans Company, or SLC, said £280,000 had now been paid back by individuals, two years after the problem was discovered. It said it was "focused on collecting every pound of taxpayer money" owed.

No deadline has yet been set for recovering the funds. A SLC spokesman said: "We work with each individual customer to ascertain their personal circumstances and agree a repayment plan specific to them, ensuring that all repayment plans are affordable and sustainable for the customer and will not cause them financial hardship."
Full report on the BBC News site