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<p>My Rt hon. friend, the Secretary of State, has not undertaken such an assessment.
However, I can assure the hon. Member that the Government is fully committed to ensuring
that all young people, including those from the most disadvantaged families, can continue
to participate in further education and training after they leave school. We are investing
over £7 billion to fund a place at school or college for every 16- or 17-year-old
who wants one. We recognise that some young people need additional help with the costs
associated with attending further education or training, and we offer a range of financial
support, which is set out here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance"
target="_blank">www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance</a></p><p>The 16 to 19
Bursary Fund is a key part of our participation strategy to support young people in
education and training. It allows schools and colleges to target financial support
towards those who need it most. They are free to establish their own eligibility criteria
for payments from the Bursary Fund, because they are best placed to identify those
students experiencing the greatest financial disadvantages or course-related costs;
and because they have the best knowledge of local circumstances and the individual
barriers that can prevent young people from participating.</p><p>Feedback gained from
institutions and students indicates that the scheme is achieving its aims. The majority
of institutions surveyed think the Bursary Fund is having a positive impact on young
people’s participation (77%) and engagement in learning (70%). Similarly, more than
three-quarters (78%) think it is effective in targeting young people facing the greatest
barriers to participation.</p><p>Students have also confirmed their support for the
Bursary Fund with the majority of recipients surveyed saying it allows them to cope
better (75%), and a third of those saying it is integral to being able to continue
in education.</p><p>School and academy sixth forms already have to provide free meals
to disadvantaged students who are over 16. From September 2014, free meals will also
be available to disadvantaged students taking further education (FE) courses across
the whole FE sector, which will provide further support for families. It will also
help students with their studies as we know that they perform better when they have
access to good-quality, regular meals.</p><p>The support I have outlined above is
part of a range of measures implemented by the Department for Education that have
contributed to achieving the lowest levels of young people not in education, employment
or training (NEET) since records began in 1994. This is important because the effects
of being NEET are recognised as having a significant financial cost for the families
of young people.</p>
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