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Education Maintenance Allowance

I would like to update the House on the figures that have previously been quoted in regard to the delivery of education maintenance allowances (EMAs). In my statement of 19 November about delivery of learner support schemes I indicated that as of the day before there were 12,016 applications for EMA in the process of being finalised. This information was drawn from statistics provided to the LSC by Liberata. Since then, in response to emerging concerns about the methodology being used by Liberata to calculate the work in progress statistics, and to ensure that the figures were accurate in advance of the transfer of the contract to Capita, the LSC commissioned a full count of the outstanding applications. This analysis was made possible by the relatively small number of applications still remaining. Liberata's physical count on 21 November recorded that there were around 26,000 applications in the process of being finalised. The LSC advises me that the new figure represents a more accurate reflection of the outstanding number of applications. However, once the contract has transferred, Capita will review these figures in more detail. Clearly this is unsatisfactory. I have therefore today written to Mark Haysom, chief executive of the LSC, asking for a full explanation as to why the issue with the methodology for calculating the statistics had not been revealed sooner. I have written to the Chairman of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee to update him on this matter. I am placing a copy of this letter in the Library of the House, along with a copy of my letter to Mark Haysom.