§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current level of the Bridging Allowance; and if he will make a statement.[124881]
§ Mr. WicksI have been asked to reply.
The Bridging Allowance was introduced to provide short-term help for young people awaiting a training place. It is a national scheme, payable for up to eight weeks only. It is not a form of social security benefit and was never intended to support young people in any way over a long period of time.
The Department is currently taking forward the recommendations in the Social Exclusion Unit's "Bridging the Gap" report: to consider the rationalisation of financial support for young people. As part of this work we will be looking at the future of all financial support available to young people including the Bridging Allowance.