§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set a date to give every prisoner the right of access to prison education and to make the escorting of prisoners to education classes a duty for prison officers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe Government are already considering the recommendation of the third report from the Education, Science and Arts Committee on this matter and will now wish to take into account the various recommendations that have been made by Lord Justice Woolf and His Honour Judge Stephen Tumim in the report of their recent inquiry into the prison disturbances, April 1990. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has said that the Government plan to issue a White Paper later this year, but we have already made clear the importance which we attach to education as part of a positive and constructive regime and that we want to see more prisoners taking up education courses. Escorting inmates, where necessary, to enable them to attend educational classes or to take part in other regime activities is already part of the task of prison officers.