Who really pays the price?

It was hardly a surprise to read of concern about non-UK European Union students not repaying the loan for their tuition fees (“Interest is not mere linguistics”, Leader, 20 August). This was obvious to many from the start but was ignored by the government, who came up with the hilarious response that they would scour Europe with debt collectors. If they think they can fiddle the numbers by selling off the loan book, can anyone believe that they will get a good price? And if a private company does take it on, the losses arising from non-UK students will have to be met by crucifying interest rates for UK students, who effectively have to pay for the other EU graduates.

Norman Gowar
London