Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research his Department has conducted on the effect of the removal of Education Maintenance Allowance on families where a child received that allowance.

The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was phased out from September 2011 with the final payments being made in August 2012. It was replaced with the 16-19 Bursary Fund which was available from September 2011. Students who began courses in 2010/11 and continued in 2011/12 could receive transitional support. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds who had received a full EMA award of £30 a week continued to receive EMA support at a lower level of £20 a week during 2011/12. Those in higher income brackets who had previously claimed a partial EMA award of £10 or £20 a week no longer received EMA, but all young people could apply for support from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

There was considerable research undertaken following the introduction of the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to evaluate this new approach. The reports are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-16-to-19-bursary-fund-year-1-report.