asked Her Majesty’s Government:

How many young people have benefited from the education maintenance allowance; and what steps they will take to increase its take-up.

My Lords, since national roll-out of the education maintenance allowance in 2004, 1,139,769 young people have benefited from it. The Learning and Skills Council, which has operational responsibility for EMAs, has recently launched a new EMA marketing campaign designed to increase EMA take-up even further. Over the past year, the Government have spent £6.5 million marketing EMAs to young people and their families.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that helpful response. What measures are in place to encourage young people who are disadvantaged or disengaged with the system to take up the scheme, and what impact have they had?

My Lords, I am glad to say that take-up is high, particularly among the more disadvantaged groups to whom my noble friend refers. Among those eligible for the £30 EMA band, who are the most disadvantaged part of the cohort, 92 per cent take it up. But to enhance this further we have increased the range of courses eligible to receive EMAs to include, for example, European Social Fund-funded projects in disadvantaged areas.

My Lords, can the Minister say what published evidence there is to show that EMAs have had a positive impact on achievement rates?

My Lords, the EMA pilot evaluation evidence showed that the EMA has led to increased participation nationally by 3.8 percentage points for 16 year-olds and 4.1 percentage points for 17 year-olds. Participation in full-time education and training among 16 to 18 year-olds is the highest that we have ever had, so the evidence is strong and robust.

My Lords, does the Minister agree with me in hoping that the EMA will encourage many young people to carry on learning into adult life? But is he aware that if they carry on doing that as adult learners in a college, only 10 per cent will continue to receive financial support, compared with the 60 per cent of university students who receive it? At a time when we need to upskill the workforce, what are the Government doing about that discrepancy?

My Lords, we are making huge investments in this area. EMAs account for more than £500 million a year of public spending on a programme that did not previously exist. The noble Baroness is right to say that certain parts of the further education world would like additional financial support to be provided, but we are making a good start with EMAs. The greatest indicators of propensity to continue studying are achievements in AS and A-levels, and level 3 qualifications. EMAs are pushing up levels of achievement among 16 to 18 year-olds, which are much higher than they were previously.

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?

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.

My Lords, has there been any analysis of whether young people with high truancy rates have been attracted back into education by this allowance? Do those in part-time education qualify—for example, those who would like to combine employment with training?

My Lords, our whole policy is for 16 to 18 year-olds to remain in full-time education or training and we have successfully increased participation rates in that respect. However, the noble Baroness has drawn attention to an important option for 16 to 18 year-olds: apprenticeships, which combine work with part-time training. There has been a substantial increase in apprenticeship numbers in recent years and we are committed to a further increase, so that, alongside the raising of the education and training participation age to 18, there will be an opportunity for all young people to undertake an apprenticeship if they wish to do so.

My Lords, what specific impact has there been on the number of children in public care who continue in education or training? Will the Minister ensure that the marketing operation is as effective as possible by, for instance, contacting the National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care and other organisations in this area?

My Lords, I certainly undertake to make the connections that the noble Earl referred to. Participation and attainment rates among children in care are rising, but, as the House knows only too well from our recent debates on the Children and Young Persons Bill, the rates are low and will have to rise a good deal further before we can be satisfied.

My Lords, does the Minister not agree that, although the educational maintenance allowance has been very successful in increasing participation, we still have a distressingly large number of young people aged 16 who leave school as soon as they can? How far do the Government feel that the measures they are taking will be successful in keeping those young people in education and keeping them motivated?

My Lords, the proportion of 16 year-olds in full-time education and training now stands, according to the most recent figures, at 78.1 per cent, which is the highest rate ever. Policies, including the introduction of educational maintenance allowances, are helping to increase participation but, as the noble Baroness knows well because it has been a cause dear to her heart for many years, until we have a fully appropriate curriculum for 16 to 18 year-olds, we are not going to reach those who have not been sufficiently motivated to stay on in the past. That is why, in particular, the introduction of vocational diplomas, which starts in schools and colleges nationwide from this September, is so important. If we can establish a fully appropriate curriculum leading to worthwhile qualifications and a pathway on to both higher education and apprenticeships, I believe we will close that remaining gap in terms of participation.

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?

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.

My Lords, while we celebrate the success of the allowance scheme in England, education is devolved to the other nations of the United Kingdom. Can the Minister inform us what link there is and how the success in England is being repeated in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

My Lords, I am sure the success is being repeated in all those constituent parts of the United Kingdom, but I do not have the facts at my fingertips. I will write to the noble Lord and let him know.