§ 14. Mrs. Betty WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the take-up of education maintenance allowances. [187708]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisAt the start of September, around 150,000 young people in England had already applied for an EMA. This already represents around 50 per cent. of young people eligible for the scheme and we expect more applications over the coming weeks. The EMA scheme has proved its effectiveness in the pilots we have run, and it will allow young people from poorer households to succeed in a wide variety of vocational and academic courses.