Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisoner Literacy

Tuesday 24 May 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department plans to improve prisoner literacy through a prisons strategy White Paper.
  • Governors will be held accountable for progress in English and maths through new key performance indicators.
  • Welsh Government's proposals for further devolution of justice in Wales have been noted, with positive working relationships highlighted.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Matthew Hancock Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is concerned about improving literacy among prisoners to enhance their employability upon release, reducing crime.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to improve literacy among prisoners. I welcome what the Minister has said on improving literacy among prisoners and what the Secretary of State said in answer to the previous question. May I just strengthen the point about governor accountability? Training in prisons is currently accountable through Ofsted and the training provider is held accountable. Until governors themselves are fully accountable for the literacy of prisoners as they leave, tied of course with the need to get prisoners into work, on which there has been excellent progress, it will always be harder than it should be to get the reading training needed, especially for those who are dyslexic.

Answer from Victoria Atkins

We have set our plans to achieve exactly that in the prisons strategy White Paper. We have already introduced measures of progress in English and maths to hold governors to account, and we will be establishing an innovation scheme to deliver new initiatives to improve the reading and writing of prisoners. My right hon Friend is completely right. We are putting in place a new deal for governors based on clear expectations and accountability, giving them greater autonomy over education provision in their establishments, which includes transparent key performance indicators, outcome measures and targets, including on prisoner literacy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not fully address the specific ask to commit to holding governors accountable for prisoner literacy upon release linked with employment prospects.

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Q2 Matthew Hancock Con
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about improving literacy among prisoners to enhance their employability upon release, reducing crime.

Question

I welcome what the Minister has said on improving literacy among prisoners and what the Secretary of State said in answer to the previous question. May I just strengthen the point about governor accountability? Training in prisons is currently accountable through Ofsted and the training provider is held accountable. Until governors themselves are fully accountable for the literacy of prisoners as they leave, tied of course with the need to get prisoners into work, on which there has been excellent progress, it will always be harder than it should be to get the reading training needed, especially for those who are dyslexic.

Answer from Victoria Atkins

My right hon Friend is completely right. We are putting in place a new deal for governors based on clear expectations and accountability, giving them greater autonomy over education provision in their establishments, which includes transparent key performance indicators, outcome measures and targets, including on prisoner literacy. Indeed, in Highpoint Prison in his constituency, there is a prisoner who was completely illiterate on entering prison. He had the ambition to read to his young child and is now three chapters into a book.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not fully address the specific ask to commit to holding governors accountable for prisoner literacy upon release linked with employment prospects.

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Q3 Liz Saville-Roberts PC Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Education Wales
Context

The MP is concerned about the inconsistency between what is devolved and reserved regarding education and literacy within the context of justice in Wales.

Question

Diolch yn fawro, Lefarydd. Education and literacy highlight the inconsistency between what is devolved and what is reserved in relation to justice in Wales. Does the Minister therefore welcome Welsh Government's proposals, published today, to further the devolution of justice in Wales, and will she commit to work with Welsh Government to further those proposals?

Answer from Victoria Atkins

I like working with the Welsh Government; that may come as a surprise to some, but I have found them incredibly helpful on plans such as the residential women's centre, which I launched the plans for only last week. We will see a residential women's centre set up in Swansea to help vulnerable women who are on the cusp of custody, giving them 12 weeks' residential accommodation and courses to try to steer them away from offending.

Not addressed: Did not commit to working with Welsh Government on devolving justice; instead discussed a different initiative.

How: Changed Subject

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