To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of students who are currently in receipt of an Education Maintenance Allowance; and what assurance he can give that money for this will be ringfenced in light of current budgetary pressures.

In academic year 2013/14 there were 21,629 students in receipt of the means tested Educational Maintenance Allowance and it is anticipated that a similar number of students will be eligible in academic year 2014/15. The Educational Maintenance Allowance estimated budget requirement for financial year 2014/15 is £23.1 million and I can confirm that this is ring-fenced.

In relation to future funding, my Department is currently considering all options for budget savings across all spending lines. Final decisions on how the cuts will be managed will not be made until a public consultation has been completed and the detail of the cuts has been confirmed. However, my Department is preparing and planning for the financial challenges that cuts in the region of 11% will bring and is in the process of considering its work priorities to determine how the budget cuts can be absorbed.