The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is to consider a special review charting the breakdown in the delivery of Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) last year which left thousands of students without the money they needed to stay on in education and make ends meet.

The MP has written to the LSC Chief Executive, Mark Haysom, to ask for assurances that the system failure can never happen again.

In November, Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, welcomed the news that Liberata, the back office function company, had forfeited its six year multi million pound contract to administer EMAs.

The Schools Minister, Jim Knight, told Prentice last month: "The LSC has instigated its own internal review of the contract failures by Liberata last year. The review has been commissioned by Chris Banks, the LSC National Chair, and mark Haysom, the LSC Chief Executive, and is independent of the LSC executive."

The Minister added: "The review report will go to the LSC National Council in early March. The Department will consider lessons learnt in the light of the outcome of the LSC's review."

Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: "The contract to deliver the EMAs was supposedly "Gateway" tested approved and Liberata satisfied everyone it could deliver. That didn't happen and we need to know why."

Note to Editors: The MP had a special adjournment debate on Education Maintenance Allowances on 10 December.