AQW 47048/22-27 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she plans to increase Education Maintenance Allowance in line with inflation.
Asked by Connie Egan MLA on 26 May 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 26 May 2026
- Answer due by
- 10 June 2026
- Answered
- 2 June 20267 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Whilst the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) will not be increased in this financial year, I remain committed to ensuring that support is available to help remove financial barriers to enable every young person to have the opportunity to remain in education.
To support this, work is underway between officials in my Department and their counterparts in the Department of Education (DE) to ensure that EMA continues to be appropriately targeted and effective.
Any potential changes will be considered as part of this ongoing cross-departmental work.