HC Deb 25 March 2004 vol 419 cc1017-8W
Charles Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 1 March,Official Report, column 722W, on prison education, what assessments are made of the educational needs of each individual prisoner. [162353]

Paul Goggins

All establishments provide an induction programme and initial assessment of each offender's literacy and numeracy skills. Assessment materials must be referenced to the national standards for adult literacy and numeracy.

Charles Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 1 March 2004,Official Report, column 721W, on prison education, how many heads of learning and skills have been appointed; and if he will make a statement on their roles and responsibilities. [162354]

Paul Goggins

120 Heads of Learning and Skills have been appointed to the adult estate. Of these, 118 are in post.

Their role is to: lead the strategic planning process for learning and skills activities throughout their establishment in order to promote a vision of the prison as a secure learning centre; promote, plan and co-ordinate all learning and skills activity, including programmes provided by the voluntary/community sector, in order to provide a comprehensive and coherent learning and skills programme for all prisoners; ensure management information systems are in place to record accurately all required data relating to learning and skills provision so that outcomes can be assessed; ensure that learning and skills are central to the sentence planning process in order to achieve an effective transition for offenders from custody into the community; and oversee their establishment's quality improvement group, ensuring that a quality improvement strategy, a self-assessment report, action plan and development plan are produced.

Charles Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his; answer of 1 March 2004,Official Report, column 721W, on prison education, what level of increased investment is being made by his Department, over the next three years, to increase opportunities for learning and skills across the range of prison activities. [162356]

Paul Goggins

The Department for Education and Skills is responsible for the funding of Learning and Skills in prisons. Funding for prison education and training in 2003–04 is £97 million, rising to £122 million in 2004–05 and £135 million in 2005–06.