§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on prison education in(a) cash and (b) real terms in 1978–79 and 1994–95; how much time was made available in each of these years; how many prisoners attended courses; and what was the cost per prisoner receiving education and the cost per prisoner whether or not receiving education in (i) Wales and (ii) the regions of England. [30709]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 4 June 1996]Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Win Griffiths, dated 21 June 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about spending on education in 1978–79 and 1994–95.The requested information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost: prisons are operated on a national basis and separate statistics for England and Wales are therefore not available. The table below shows expenditure on education and cost per prisoner in cash and real terms for 1978–79 and 1994–95.
Prison service expenditure on education Education expenditure Cost per prisoner—Education Average population Year Cash (£ million) Real terms £ million at 1994–95 prices Cash£ Real terms £ at 1994–95 prices 1978–79 6.1 17.8 145.2 423.7 42,008 1994–95 36.7 36.7 744.3 744.3 49,308