3rd November 2010

 Adrian has today pressed the Government on their plans to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance in a question to the Minister for Universities.

 Introduced by Labour in 2004, the EMA scheme was axed by the Michael Gove in the Spending Review last month. This was despite promises by David Cameron and Nick Clegg before the election that the payments would be safe.

 Adrian highlighted in the considerabel impact the EMA has had on improving the access to higher education for many young people in West Bromwich, with the payments helping to pay for basics such as transport and books. Now the payments are being axed from next year, many could find it hard to make ends meet and choose not to continue their education.

 Independent studies had shown that the payments increased the number of students remaining in education who would not have done so without the financial incentive, as well as raising attainment amongst disadvantaged young people.

Adrian's question and the answer from Rt Hon David Willets MP, Minister for Universities and Science are below:

Mr Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West) (Lab/Co-op): The Minister has rightly emphasised measures taken to improve access for low-income students. In my constituency, West Bromwich West, the education maintenance allowance, coupled with the Aimhigher project, have made significant improvements in the take-up of university places by lower-income students. Can the Minister guarantee that whatever steps are taken to replace those-if indeed they are replaced-the level of Government funding under the previous Government will be maintained?

Mr Willetts: What I can guarantee is that we will place on universities an obligation to achieve the things that were previously being achieved by the kind of schemes that the hon. Gentleman described. That, we think, is the best place for the obligation to fall, and we are looking carefully at the best and most effective way in which that can be done, but it should be for individual universities to come up with their proposals for how they can best improve access.