§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prison population was under the age of 21 years on 30 December. [65290]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe currently available information relates to the population on the last day of November 1998. On that date, 16 per cent. of the prison population in England and Wales were aged under 21 years.
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§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the education facilities that are available to young people of school age who are serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales. [65288]
§ Mr. George HowarthThere is a statutory requirement to provide prisoners under the age of 17 years with 15 hours academic education including English, mathematics, life skills relevant to their age, and information technology together with a minimum of 5 hours physical education.
Prison education for all prisoners focuses on the core curriculum of basic educational skills (literacy and numeracy), life and social skills and computer skills.
The Prison Service is currently developing new regime standards for young people under the age of 18. They will include the development of a broader education curriculum for young people under school leaving age which will take into account their particular learning difficulties, especially dyslexia, attention deficits and hyper-activity disorder and any statement of educational needs. The comprehensive spending review has made additional funds available for achieving the new standards.
The Prison Service is also planning to introduce an individual programme for each young person. It will be based on a thorough assessment and will include an action plan and programme suited to individual needs, ability and aptitude.