Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Bilston (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 29 April 2008.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Question: My Lords, education maintenance allowances have been a real success story for our Government, and half a million students are in receipt of the grant. I know that many students are extremely grateful for that contribution. The administration of the scheme is also hugely successful, and that has contributed greatly to its success. Will my noble friend confirm that the scheme, which is so successful, will be rolled out and kept alive even after post-16 education and training become compulsory in 2015?

Answer: My Lords, I entirely agree with my noble friend. The introduction of education maintenance allowances is one of the great educational and social successes of this Labour Government, and we can take pride in that. The numbers continue to increase. As my noble friend said, 540,000 students are in receipt of education maintenance allowances—an increase on 430,000 only two years ago. I can confirm that when the education participation age rises to 17 in 2013 and to 18 in 2015, we will sustain education maintenance allowances.

Secondary information