Prison Education (Hansard, 11 June 1991)

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)
My Lords, reference to prisons was not made in the White Paper because the changes proposed will not make a significant impact on prison education.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, is it not the case that many further education colleges and LEAs provide a great deal of prison education and that that will be an important consideration when the legislation is drafted? Does the Minister agree with the report of the Select Committee on Education, Science and Arts of another place which was published in March? It stated that many prisoners become more violent and dangerous while in prison but that others who are helped by NACRO and similar associations which offer educational provisions abandon their criminal practices and settle down as useful citizens. Are the Government committed to putting more money into prison education as was proposed by Lord Justice Woolf in his recent inquiry?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I agree that the colleges of further education provide a great deal of the education in prisons. The proposal is that colleges of further education will be removed from local authority control and will become corporate bodies funded by central funding councils. Therefore, the relationship between the colleges of further education should be at no greater distance from the prisons than it is at present.
The amount of prison education has increased from 5.5 million hours to 7.5 million hours between 1987-88 and 1989-90. I give the noble Baroness an assurance that my right honourable friend the Home Secretary wishes to see more prisoners taking educational courses and training in skills in order to ensure that they have a better chance of leading a life free of crime.

Baroness Sharpies
My Lords, can my noble friend say how many writers in residence there are in different prisons?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, not without notice.

§ Lord Richard
My Lords, will the noble Earl tell us whether he accepts the statement in Lord Justice Woolf s report on this aspect of his inquiry that: We met many prisoners … who told us that … educational provision was woefully inadequate. There were long waiting lists to join classes. Even those who succeeded in being accepted for a class could not be sure whether they would be able to attend it—classes were frequently cancelled because, prisoners were told, there was no prison officer to escort them to the education rooms … Prisoners were particularly resentful that, in their view, education was not given a high enough priority".
Will the Minister accept that that is a very damning criticism of the present situation? While we on this side of the House do not expect miracles, economic or otherwise, will he tell us what the Government are doing to move in the right direction?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, Lord Justice Woolf made a number of proposals about prisons. The Government are studying those proposals and will give their reply to them in a White Paper in due course.

§ Lord Hailsham of Saint Marylebone
My Lords, have the Government considered the availability of 1005 correspondence courses in this connection, which may be particularly suitable for prison inmates? If so, will he give the House some information on the subject?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I do not have any information as to the number of correspondence courses which are at present undertaken in prisons. However, I shall find out and write to my noble and learned friend about it.

§ Lord Harris of Greenwich
My Lords, will the Government's response to Lord Justice Woolf's report be published before the Summer Recess?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, it will be published either before the Summer Recess or after it.

§ Lord Richard
My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on his perception and accuracy. Will it be possible to have a debate on the Woolf Report before the Recess? The Leader of the House told us some time ago that the Government are anxious that there should be a debate on the subject. Will the noble Earl give us an assurance that, when the White Paper is published, it will deal with the provision of education in prisons?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, whether we have a debate on the Woolf Report is a matter for the usual channels, to which I have no doubt the noble Lord, Lord Richard, will direct his attention. I advise the noble Lord to wait and see what the content of the White Piper will be.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, does the Minister know that many prisoners can neither read nor write? Therefore, remedial teaching is very important and, as a member of a board of visitors, I congratulate the teachers who carry out that very important work with prisoners.

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I am aware of the very important point which the noble Baroness makes about some prisoners not being able to read and write. That is why it is very important that special educational needs should be protected, and it is our intention that they will be. I agree also with the noble Baroness that the work which the teachers do is quite remarkable.

§ Baroness Carnegy of Lour
My Lords, will my noble friend to it the House who decides on the level of education provision in individual prisons and, therefore, who it is whom the Government and noble Lords must influence in order to achieve an increase?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, it is the responsibility of the governor of each prison. He is advised by the head of inmate activities and the education officer. Of course the majority of education is provided by the local education authority, usually through colleges of further education.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the chief education officer of the prison service praised a report last November on the work of the local education authorities? Will that be remembered 1006 when the legislation is finally drawn up so that there continues to be local education authority involvement?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, the work of the local education authorities in providing education in prisons has been substantial. The proposal is that, from 1st April 1993, the colleges of further education will be removed from local authority control and will become bodies funded by the central funding council.

§ Lord Peston
My Lords, will the noble Earl clarify what I thought was a very helpful opening Answer? He said that the reason that prisons were not included in the White Paper is that it is the Government's view that FE colleges, whoever controls them, will have as large a role to play as they had in the past. Do I understand him to say that that role will not be diminished, whatever new arrangements are made?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, I did not say that, but that was the basic drift of what I intended to imply. Although there is a change in the funding of colleges of further education, involvement with prisons is not expected to change.

Lord Winstanley
My Lords, in response to an earlier question the noble Earl told us that the Woolf Report would be published either before or after the Summer Recess. Therefore, are we entitled to assume that under no circumstances will the report be published during the Summer Recess?

Earl Ferrers
My Lords, the Woolf Report has been published. It was the Government's response to it to which I was referring. The likelihood is that that will be published either before or after the Recess. It is unlikely that it will be during it. However, I should not care to give a totally cast-iron guarantee.