This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council’s chief executive has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 18 June 2007:
I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked “what assessment he has made of the impact on attendance rates in education to employment and other vocational courses of the replacement of training grants by educational maintenance allowances”.
Attendance rate data was not recorded at a national level on programmes where training allowances were paid prior to the introduction of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
Attendance rates of those learners in receipt of EMA have been recorded since its introduction. Attendance rate refers to the percentage of EMA payments made each week as a result of the learner meeting the agreed attendance criteria with their learning provider. The average weekly attendance rate on programmes where EMA replaced training allowances is 85.0% for the academic year 2006/07 to the end of April.