Question reference: S5W-04595
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 10 November 2016
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 November 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03844 by John Swinney on 1 November 2016, for what reason the Education Maintenance Allowance budget has reduced from £42.6 million in 2007-08 to £39.6 million.
Answer
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is an entitlement in Scotland which means that any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria will receive EMA support. The budget level is set in line with recent spending trends. We increased the EMA budget to £39.6 million for 2016-17 from its previous year’s budget of £29.6 million to accommodate any increase in the number of EMA recipients resulting from the amended eligibility criteria introduced in January 2016. We have also provided additional support to Local Authorities to promote the EMA funding and to inform parents and student about the changes to the eligibility criteria.