HC Deb 19 July 1977 vol 935 cc528-9W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if she will take steps to ensure that all pupils who qualify for free school meals and are over 16 years of age automatically qualify for a maximum education maintenance allowance;

(2) if she will take steps to ensure all local education authorities make regular returns to her Department on the number and level of educational maintenance allowances granted;

(3) if she will ensure that all educational maintenance allowances for 1977–78 be set at the same level as the Manpower Services Commission's proposed £18 per week for youngsters in training.

Miss Margaret Jackson: Payment of educational maintenance allowances is within the discretion of local education authorities. My right hon. Friend has no power under present legislation to lay down conditions of eligibility or levels of grant, and she has no plans to call for regular returns.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice her school inspectors are giving to head teachers, and principals of further education colleges, faced with the fact that pupils whose parents have very low incomes are unlikely to receive educational maintenance allowances in excess of £2.30p if they return to sixth form to follow a full-time A-level course, but if they follow a similar A-level course part time for three days per week in further education colleges they are entitled to claim over £9 per week in supplementary benefit.

Miss Margaret Jackson

The two cases are not truly comparable. A pupil returning to sixth form to follow a full-time course may normally expect to complete the course; and the parents are entitled to child tax allowance or child benefit. Unemployed young people enrolling for part-time courses in further education colleges must be prepared to abandon their studies at any time to take up work, if they wish to retain their entitlement to supplementary benefit; and their parents receive no allowances. The advice given by members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate is normally confined to educational rather than administrative matters.