National Year of Reading (Hansard, 11 December 1997)

5. Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
If he will make a statement on his plans to support the National Year of Reading. [18750]

§ The Minister for School Standards (Mr. Stephen Byers)
The aim of the National Year of Reading is to demonstrate to children the excitement, pleasure and enjoyment of reading. In addition, it will encourage adults to learn to read. The Government, along with the private sector, will be supporting those objectives in a variety of ways.

Mr. Thomas
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his reply, and I warmly welcome the National Year of Reading; not least because it will provide an additional impetus for the Government's crusade to raise standards of literacy. As well as encouraging children who can read to develop their skills further, should we not focus attention on those who cannot yet read at all? What plans are there to focus on that specific group as part of the National Year of Reading?

§ Mr. Byers
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Some 8 million adults are unable to read and write properly, and the National Year of Reading must treat them as a priority. We shall need to find new ways of engaging and motivating those adults. We are particularly pleased that popular television programmes such as "EastEnders" and "Brookside" have agreed to promote the National Year of Reading within their scripts. That is a positive way of engaging adults who otherwise would not be part of the National Year of Reading.

§ Mr. Don Foster
I welcome the Minister's response and the emphasis that he rightly places on raising literacy standards across the board. Therefore, is it not frankly
1171 ludicrous that we are spending three times as much on testing the literacy and numeracy skills of seven-year-olds as we are on books for those seven-year-olds? Is he aware that, even with the additional money that the Government have provided, we shall still be spending twice as much on testing as on books?

§ Mr. Byers
The hon. Gentleman will have to wait for an announcement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in a few days, which will reveal clearly the priorities of the Government. We believe that testing at seven is appropriate, as it is important to judge relative progress and to make sure that individual children can move on and develop their reading, and their literacy skills in general. On the wider issue of priorities, the hon. Gentleman will be pleased when he hears my right hon. Friend's announcement within 10 days.

§ Mr. Gordon Marsden
I welcome the Minister's statement on the National Year of Reading, and I urge him to give particular attention to co-ordinating adult literacy responses with those of children. That is particularly important in areas such as mine where not only the children but the parents in council estates need to be brought up to literacy standards. When we had a consultation exercise on the White Paper recently, that was one of the strongest points that came across. Will he take that into account?

§ Mr. Byers
Yes, the Government want a community approach to reading. The previous Government established four family literacy schemes—just four. We shall expand that programme and have nearly 500 family literacy schemes, as we recognise that that is a positive way to involve parents in developing their children's reading skills. It is a clear demonstration of the Government's commitment to getting the basics right and getting parents working with their children to ensure that they have the best possible start to their school life.