§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of illiteracy is(a) in coalfield areas and (b) of citizens born in the United Kingdom. [41799]
§ John HealeyThe table shows estimated literacy levels in the main coalfield districts (those districts with more than three 'coalfield wards').
636W
District name Literacy levels1 District name Literacy levels1 Dover 23.9 Selby 22.3 Cannock Chase 25.6 Barnsley 28.3 Lichfield 21.0 Doncaster 27.2 Newcastle-under-Lyme 25.1 Rotherham 27.5 Staffordshire Moorlands 23.0 Sheffield 25.8 Stoke-on-Trent 27.6 Calderdale 26.3 Tamworth 26.7 Salford 27.6 North Warwickshire 23.2 Wakefield 26.8 Nuneaton and Bedworth 26.0 Wigan 25.9 Amber Valley 25.0 St. Helens 26.4
District name Literacy levels1 District name Literacy levels1 Bolsover 27.6 Middlesborough 28.9 Chesterfield 26.2 Chester-le-Street 25.3 Erewash 24.3 Derwentside 27.4 North East Derbyshire 23.7 Durham 27.4 South Derbyshire 22.1 Easington 30.4 Hinckley and Bosworth 22.3 Alnwick 26.2 North West Leicestershire 24.1 Blyth Valley 26.6 Ashfield 27.0 Castle Morpeth 21.3 Bassetlaw 24.4 Newcastle upon Tyne 25.8 Broxtowe 22.3 Wansbeck 29.1 Gedling 22.2 South Tyneside 29.0 Mansfield 26.6 Sunderland 28.8 Newark and Sherwood 24.0 — — 1 Percentage of population with 'low', 'lower' or 'very low' literacy. Note:
National average equals 24 per cent.
Data at ward level is available as a searchable database on the Basic Skills Agency website at "www.basic-skills.co.uk/datasite/", which also contains data by Parliamentary Constituency and by local Learning and Skills Council area.
The most detailed survey of basic skills in Britain is "Adult Literacy in Britain", published in 1997. This reported that 23 per cent. of the population had low levels of literacy. 15 per cent. of those with low levels of literacy did not speak English as a first language and may not have been born in the UK. This equates to around 1 million of the 7 million adults in England with poor literacy skills.