To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people received (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 in education maintenance allowance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency and (ii) the East of England in each year since the scheme began; and what percentage of all young people in the area each figure represented. (134213)

This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the DfES and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council’s Chief Executive has written to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 15 May 2007:

I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question 134213 that asked:

“How many young people received (a) £30, (b) £20 and (c) £10 in education maintenance allowance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency and (ii) the East of England in each year since the scheme began; and what percentage of all young people in the area each figure represented.”

Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received education maintenance allowance (EMA) is available at local authority level, but not at constituency level EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.

The following tables show EMA take-up data split by payment band for Cambridgeshire local authority area and East of England during each academic year since the schemes inception.

In the first year of national roll out EMA was available to all 16-years-olds across England and to 17 and 18-years-olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA, was available to all 16 and 17-year-olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA is available to all 16, 17 and 18-year-olds nationally. In calculating the percentage of young people receiving EMA only take up and population figures for age groups where EMA was available nationally have been used.

The following table shows the percentage of young people receiving EMA in Cambridgeshire local authority area and East of England during each academic year since national roll out.

I hope this information is useful and addresses your question.