Funding to the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) each year: FOI release

Information requested

1. Annual Allocation: How much funding the Scottish Government allocates to the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) each year.
2. Recipients: The number of individuals who receive EMA payments each year.

Please provide this information broken down by financial year for the past five years.

Response

I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in the format you asked for.

The answer to question 1 is: In the past five financial years, the Scottish Government has allocated the following funding to Educational Maintenance Allowance:

2025/26 £18.7 million
2024/25 £20.7 million
2023/24 £25 million
2022/23 £25 million
2021/22 £25 million

All of the he information you have requested in question 1 is available from the Level 4 Budget Tables within the following publications on www.gov.scot:

Scottish Budget: 2025 to 2026

Scottish Budget: 2024 to 2025

Scottish Budget: 2023 to 2024

Scottish Budget: 2022 to 2023

Scottish Budget: 2021 to 2022

The answer to question 2 is: Information on EMA recipients broken down by academic year is available from the following publication on www.gov.scot - Education Maintenance Allowances 2023-24 - gov.scot.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the information are explained in the Annex

ANNEX - Reasons for not providing information

Whilst the Scottish Government does hold recipient information, it does not hold recipient information in the format requested.

Information on EMA recipients broken down by academic year is available from the following publication on www.gov.scot - Education Maintenance Allowances 2023-24 - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government does not have the number of individuals who receive EMA payments in each financial year. As such, I hereby provide you with formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested in a financial year format as there is no business need to hold the information in this way.

Further analysis of the underlying EMA data could possibly be undertaken by the Scottish Government, subject to consideration of legal, ethical and other factors. If you wish this to be considered, please re- send question 2 of your request to FHEstatistics@gov.scot for further consideration by the relevant staff within the Scottish Government.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.