AQW 47048/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 26/05/2026
Answered On Date: 02/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she plans to increase Education Maintenance Allowance in line with inflation.

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.