Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisoner Skills Development

Tuesday 21 February 2023 · 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 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister is delivering a new prison education service.
  • First prisoner apprentices have started in highway maintenance and hospitality.
  • Training in modern methods of construction is being considered to equip prisoners with skills.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Siobhan Baillie
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

The question arises from the government's initiative to help prisoners develop new skills.

Question

What steps is the minister taking to help prisoners develop new skills?

Answer from Dominic Raab

We are delivering a new prison education service. The first prisoner apprentices have now started on highway maintenance for Kier and hospitality for Greene King. We are launching an employability innovation fund to bring more businesses into prisons.

Answered
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Q2 Siobhan Baillie
Justice & Courts Housing
Context

The question stems from a project where prisoners are learning modern methods of construction to build affordable homes, but faces barriers such as land acquisition issues.

Question

What is the Ministry of Justice doing with other departments to unlock barriers for prison inmates to participate in affordable home-building projects?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I thank my hon. Friend; she is championing a brilliant project in her constituency. Getting more prisoners into work is absolutely vital for them, but also for reducing reoffending. Training prisoners in modern methods of construction is one of the ways we can equip them with the skills to deliver. As a former Housing Minister, I am very conscious of the need to release more surplus land for those purposes and I will speak to my colleagues in the way she asks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions from departments are not clearly committed.

How: I Will Speak To My Colleagues

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Q3 Andrew Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick
Justice & Courts
Context

The chief inspector of prisons wrote a paper highlighting issues with the quality of prison education, stating it is not prioritised.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that prison education is poor and lacks accountability, and what steps are being taken to address these issues?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The hon. Gentleman is right to refer to the problem. In relation to covid, it has been more difficult. What I can tell him is that: first, through the use of in-cell technology; secondly, with vocational skills and apprenticeships; and thirdly, when I became Justice Secretary I applied a whole set of key performance indicators and lifted up the waiting for both study in prison and getting offenders into work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specifics on addressing poor quality and lack of accountability are not clearly committed.

How: It Has Been More Difficult Due To Covid

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