Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prison Education

Tuesday 28 March 2023 · 2 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

  • Prison education expenditure exceeds 150 million annually.
  • The Minister defended the current prison education system and its providers.
  • The Minister emphasized the importance of all sectors in improving prison education.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mary Foy Lab City of Durham
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP questioned the effectiveness and value for money of current prison education providers, noting an annual expenditure of over £150 million.

Question

We spend more than £150 million a year on a prison education system that is unfit for purpose, and much of that is extracted as profit for failing outsourced companies. Does the Minister think that is good value for money?

Answer from Damian Hinds

That is a mischaracterisation of how the education service runs in prison. There are an extraordinary number of very dedicated people working in that service, and three of the four providers, as I say, are essentially further education college providers. We can and must do better, because we know that education and the acquisition of skills help to keep people out of trouble and from returning to jail once they get out.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Whether £150 million spent on prison education is good value for money

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Mary Foy Lab City of Durham
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP inquired about the assessment of bringing all prison education into the public sector.

Question

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing the delivery of all prison education into the public sector.

Answer from Damian Hinds

Improving education in prisons is a top priority. The public sector, the independent sector and the voluntary sector all have an important part to play in that. Indeed, three of the four contracted core education providers currently are classified as public sector bodies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assessment or merits of bringing prison education into the public sector

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email