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

Education Maintenance Allowance

Question: My Lords, since the ability to fill in complex government forms is an important part of anybody’s education, in the light of the indication that 7 per cent are not being reached, would it not be a good idea to invite schools to get all the kids to fill in a form before they leave?

Answer: My Lords, no forms could be simpler than those issued by my department. The only problem is understanding what the department’s acronym stands for but that is not one of the questions which EMA applicants have to answer before they are eligible for their £30 a week. However, in addition to the paper application forms by which people currently apply for EMAs, from this September it will also be possible to apply by phone and online. So we are meeting all needs in this respect.

Secondary information