Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of young people in the constituency of Houghton and Sunderland South are in receipt of the 16-19 Bursary, and whether that proportion has increased since 2010.

The department provides a range of financial support for students who need it to enable them to participate in post-16 education, including free meals, bursaries to help with the cost of education (such as travel, books, equipment, and trips), and support for childcare and residential costs where required.

16 to 19 Bursary funding is designed to help students overcome the individual financial barriers to participation that they face, and institutions must ensure the funds go to those who genuinely need them. The funding is allocated to individual education institutions for them to allocate to students.

The administration of the bursary fund is devolved to individual colleges, schools and other providers who are best placed to understand and support the needs of their students. We do not hold the information requested.