§ Mr. Denis MurphyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the time scale is for the review of the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme; and if she will amend the financial assessment process to ensure that it is based on a household's actual income. [6300]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisEducation Maintenance Allowance (EMA) pilots are being evaluated extensively over a three-year period and the final report is not likely to be available before early 2003. The first interim reports were published in summer this year and the next is due early in 2002. We are looking at emerging evidence from this evaluation and practical experience from the pilots to inform our thinking about future development of EMAs.
The evaluation will include an assessment of the impact of eligibility criteria, including the income assessment rules. This, and the views of stakeholders, will be carefully considered if designing a model for a national rollout of EMAs.