Amber Rudd
Main Page: Amber Rudd (Independent - Hastings and Rye)(14 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Mr Willetts
We are, of course, following the precedent set by the previous Labour Government.
Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con)
In January 2010, it was estimated that 18.5% of school-age children in Hastings were on free school meals, against the national average of 14%. Can the Minister reassure me that the national scholarship scheme will particularly help the young people in my constituency, some of whom come from very low-income families?
Mr Willetts
My hon. Friend makes a very important point. The ambition is to tie together a coherent package of support going through the different stages of childhood and on into adulthood. There is more help for early years, we have the assistance in the pupil premium for children on free school meals and we are using those sorts of criteria to continue to assist those young people through into university. That is absolutely our aim; there is a lot more work to do on the detail of the national scholarship scheme, and her thoughts and those of Members on both sides of the House will be very welcome as we develop our proposals.