Government's scrapping of EMA criticised by MP

Students protest the scrapping of EMA

GRAHAM STUART MP is in the national spotlight once again after the House of Commons Education Select Committee - which he chairs - strongly criticised the way that the Government scrapped the Educational Maintenance Allowance.

The EMA was a £560m fund aimed at helping poorer 16 - 19 year olds stay in education by providing a means-tested grant of up to £30 a week. Its abrupt scrapping left many young people unable to work out exactly what funding would be available to them.

The Select Education Committee said in a report published today that the "sudden decision" to drop the EMA and replace it with a bursary scheme was made "far too late" to allow Year 11 students to make fully informed decisions on what they will do the following year. The report states: "That delay was regrettable and should not have been allowed to happen." and "The Government should have done more to acknowledge the combined impact on students' participation, attainment and retention, particularly amongst disadvantaged sub-groups, before determining how to restructure financial support."

Graham Stuart MP, is quoted on Parliament's House of Commons website:

“Young people taking life defining decisions at 16 need clear information on the support they may receive and deserve better than rushed and ill thought through reforms. We accept that changes and savings need to be made but the organisation of the change has been far from smooth. Decisions on how much will be available for distribution by each school or college have been taken far too late, and it is 16 year olds who have suffered uncertainty as a result. That should not have been allowed to happen.”

The Report is available to read online at the Parliament House of Commons website: Participation by 16-19 year olds in education and training.

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Graham Stuart MP: National Citizen Service roll-out costs "hard to justify"

IN A REPORT PUBLISHED TODAY, Thursday 23 June 2011, the House of Commons Education Select Committee warns that extending the National Citizen Service (NCS) to all 600,000 16-year olds could have a price tag in excess of £350 million each year - even if only 50% of young people take part. This would make it more costly than the entirety of youth services currently provided by local authorities.

The NCS launched in February this year and will be available to 11,000 people in 2011 and 30,000 in 2012. The Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed a wish to see all 16 year olds being offered the opportunity to take part. However the Education Select Committee says it "cannot support" the 6-week flagship programme in current form as costs may exceed the entire public spending on youth services.

Local MP Graham Stuart is Chair of the Education Select Committee and had this to say on the report:

"The Government's idea of using the National Citizen Service to inspire young people to engage with their communities, mix socially and build their skills is a good one. However, the pilots are proving to be expensive and full roll-out would be hard to justify when cuts, which the Government itself calls disproportionate, are impacting existing youth services provided by local authorities. The NCS should be adapted so that it accredits existing programmes while introducing a new focus and resources into the sector."

The cost of National Citizen Service in 2011 is around £1,182 per young person. By contrast, the German federal Government spends £1,228 per young person for a whole year's work-based volunteering programme. The Education Select Committee says it does not see how the Government can justify spending the same amount for only six weeks of National Citizen Service.

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