§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 15 July,Official Report, columns 397–99, from which funds allocated by his Department local education authorities award discretionary educational maintenance allowances; on what occasions such allowances have been independently assessed in respect of value for money over the last five years; what conclusions were drawn; and if he will make a statement. [38444]
§ Mr. Robin SquireLocal authorities pay discretionary educational maintenance allowance from the general funds available to them, including revenue support grant.The Department does not make any specific payments in support of such allowances, although we take account of them in education standard spending assessments.
I am not aware of any assessment in the last five years of the value for money of educational maintenance allowances.