Tories demand pupil grant inquiry

Students on EMA can get up to �30 a week

An independent inquiry must be held into the problems hitting this year's pupil allowances, the Tories have said.

Several weeks after term began many thousands of teenagers in England have not received the grant aimed at helping them stay in school or college.

The Tories want the inquiry to look at why a �75m contract was given to a firm, Liberata, which has been criticised over contracts in the past.

Ministers said their main concern was that everyone should get their money.

Since early September parents, students and teachers have been reporting serious problems reminiscent of the Sats fiasco, with blocked help lines and a failed new online computer system.

Thousands of pupils have not received the money they're entitled to and it looks as if many are not having their applications processed correctly Michael Gove Shadow Children's Secretary

Last week, the BBC News website reported claims from college principals that up to three in four of those entitled to the education maintenance allowance (EMA) had not received it.

A few days later figures from the Learning and Skills Council, which manages the scheme through its contractor, suggested more than half of those who had applied had still not had their money.

But the council claims the problems are now under control and the backlog of claims is decreasing.

Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said: "Just a few months after Ed Balls's department delivered us the Sats fiasco, the payment of EMAs is similarly mired in chaos.

"Thousands of pupils have not received the money they're entitled to and it looks as if many are not having their applications processed correctly.

"Ed Balls's department appears completely incapable of delivering projects of this size."

'Focus of energies'

He accused ministers of trying to deflect the blame onto other people and called for an independent inquiry to establish what has gone so badly wrong and how the same situation could be avoided next year.

The National Union of Students has written to the Commons committee on schools, families and children urging it to use all its powers of scrutiny to examine the root causes of the failures.

NUS vice president for further education Beth Walker said: "This money very often makes the difference between participating in education and being forced to drop out and enter low paid work."

She added that the �3 million fine mooted against Liberata did not come close to addressing its mismanagement, nor the risks to which it has exposed students across the country.

Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council Mark Haysom said now was not the time to get involved in discussion of inquiries.

"We want to focus all our energies on working very closely with Liberata to ensure that the progress that has been made in clearing the backlog of EMA applications continues.

"I recognise fully that the current position is causing significant difficulties. However, I can assure you that the performance of the contractor in processing applications is improving."

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "Our position on an inquiry is that right now our only concern is ensuring everyone get's their money."

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