§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are his aims and policy on adult education in basic skills of literacy and numeracy; what are the standards of achievement considered appropriate for a child aged 16 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldenMy right hon. Friend's policy in adult education is to encourage LEAs and voluntary bodies to make available an appropriate range of learning opportunities for adults who lack basic skills of literacy and numeracy, within the constraints of available resources. To this end, he gives high priority to the funding of the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit in order to stimulate further development of adult basic skills provision. Grant has risen from over £470,000 in 1980–81 to more than £2,050,000 in 1986–87, a fourfold increase in cash terms.
It is also my right hon. Friend's aim that 80 per cent. to 90 per cent. of 16-year-olds should attain at least the foundation level of GCSE grade F in a minimum of five subjects, including English and mathematics. We are developing policies for the improvement of the school curriculum to achieve that aim.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing for each recent year, with a breakdown by budget heading or project name, his Department's expenditure on adult education in basic skills of literacy and numeracy, expressed in figures adjusted to constant prices; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldenThe expenditure from the Department's adult education budget on the adult literacy and basic skills unit since 1980–81 is as follows:
Grant paid in 1986–87 real terms measured by the GDP deflator at market prices Financial Year £ 1980–81 659,245 1981–82 1,239,548 1982–83 1,553,311 1983–84 1,638,658 1984–85 1,487,004 1985–86 11,687,140 1986–87 12,052,000 1 Estimated outturn. Some literacy and numeracy provision is also funded as part of more general DES grant-aided activities undertaken by the Workers Educational Association, the national associations primarily concerned with adult education, residential colleges for adults and the REPLAN programme. In these cases, resources for literacy and numeracy are not separately earmarked.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what statistical information is available to his Department on adults with reading, writing and arithmetical skills less than those considered appropriate for a child age 16 years; what relevant surveys have been undertaken in recent years by his Department or other bodies; and if he will make a statement.
223W
§ Mr. WaldenThe National Child Development Study survey of 1981 found that 10 per cent. of the 23-year-olds asked said that they had had reading problems since leaving school and 3 per cent. said that these problems had made things difficult for them in everyday life. In the same survey, 5 per cent. of those asked said that they had had numeracy problems since leaving school and 1.5 per cent. said these problems had made things difficult for them. A survey was also conducted in 1981 by Social Surveys (Gallup Polls) Limited which tested the numeracy skills of a sample of the adult population. It found that 10 per cent. could not handle simple addition, and higher percentages had difficulty with more complex numeracy tasks.
A recent survey by Mori of the basic literacy and numeracy skills of a sample of the population of Rochdale found that 10 per cent. of the teenagers asked said that they had some problems with reading, 16 per cent. had some problems with spelling and 18 per cent. had some problems with basic maths. Of the adults asked, 7 per cent. had some problems with reading, 13 per cent. had some problems with spelling and 13 per cent. had some problems with maths.
There are difficulties in comparing these results with the reading, writing and arithmetical skills considered appropriate for a child aged 16.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to coordinate action on adult education in basic skills of literacy and numeracy with the work of other departments in contact with large numbers of members of the public; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldenMembership of the management committee of the Government-funded Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit facilitates co-ordination of the work of the Department of Education and Science, the Welsh Office, the Home Office and the Manpower Services Commission. There is also frequent day to day contact at a working level between the unit, the Department of Education and Science, other relevant Government Departments and the MSC.