Prison Education (Hansard, 16 December 1992)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will continue to employ prison education officers at every prison.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Under present arrangements, each prison establishment has an education officer, usually employed by the local education authority. Following the current competitive tendering exercise, each prison establishment, from 1 April 1993, will have an education co-ordinator employed by the successful contractor. The education co-ordinator will be an on-site manager accountable to the governor for ensuring that the educational services required of the contractor are discharged effectively and efficiently.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the morale of prison education personnel in Wakefield prison following the report of Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons for 1991–92.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The report of Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, published in July 1992, related to an214W inspection of Her Majesty's prison Wakefield undertaken in October 1991. The education programme was then described as lacking in imagination and breadth with an absence of a team approach, a lack of openness, poor communications and unfilled potential.
Since then, there have been changes in staff. It is also hoped, in due course, to provide improved accommodation for classes.
One of the purposes of the current competitive tendering exercise is, of course, to stimulate new and better ways of carrying out tasks. More detailed specification by the Prison Service of its requirements, establishment by establishment, and more rigorous monitoring should improve standards of education provision and the morale of the staff delivering it.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were employed in prison education within(a) individual prisons and (b) all prison establishments for each year since 1979.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
This information is not held centrally. The Prison Service currently obtains most education services for prisoners through local education authorities. It is generally the local education authorities which employ the full and part-time salaried staff and sessionally paid teachers required. The Prison Service reimburses local education authorities for the expenditure incurred and pays a small additional charge for administrative costs.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how the prison education service will be publicly accountable in terms of services provided and overall budget, following compulsory competitive tendering;
(2) if teachers working in prisons will continue to be paid at the same level and conditions as non-prison teaching staff;
(3) which national agency will have responsibility for managing personnel in the prison education services following the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering;
(4) how administrative fees for the prison education service will alter following compulsory competitive tendering.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
In the current competitive tendering exercise, the Prison Service has specified what educational services it requires to be provided and the contracts will provide for payment for all the services which the contractor undertakes to supply. The pay and conditions of service of the staff to provide those services and responsibility for their management and career development is a matter for their employer. The Prison Service will wish to assure itself of the adequacy of the arrangements the employer has made and also to monitor the quality for delivery of the service for which it has contracted.
This requirement that the Prison Service should specify, establishment by establishment, the services it requires and that the provider should be contractually liable if he fails to deliver is directed to improving effectiveness, public accountability, and value for money.
215W

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how recommendations in the report of Her Majesty's inspector of prisons for 1991–92 will be implemented for education following the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering within the prison education system.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The arrangements for responding to recommendations from Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons will not change. The chief inspector makes an annual report to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, as required by section 5A(5) of the Prison Act 1952. He also publishes reports of inspections of individual prisons, in which recommendations may be directed to the Secretary of State, the Director-General of the Prison Service, the responsible area manager or to the governor. These recommendations will continue to be considered and, where appropriate, implemented in respect of educational services bought in from contractors on and after 1 April 1993, as they are now in respect of services bought in from local education authorities.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the budget for prison education for each financial year since 1979.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Total expenditure on education services in prisons in England and Wales since 1979 was as follows:

£ million

1979–80 6.5

1980–81 8.6

1981–82 8.6

1982–83 9.9

1983–84 11.0

1984–85 11.9

1985–86 12.3

1986–87 14.8

1987–88 16.9

1988–89 19.5

1989–90 22.9

1990–91 25.5

1991–92 29.5

	£ million
1979–80	6.5
1980–81	8.6
1981–82	8.6
1982–83	9.9
1983–84	11.0
1984–85	11.9
1985–86	12.3
1986–87	14.8
1987–88	16.9
1988–89	19.5
1989–90	22.9
1990–91	25.5
1991–92	29.5