§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Home Department (1) how many prisoners convicted for theft were unemployed at the time of their arrest;
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Incidents of terrorist activity in Great Britain since 21 February 1989 Date Location (a) Connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland 22 September 1989 Royal marines School of Music, North Barracks, Deal, Kent Device exploded. Eleven people killed and 21 people injured. 15 November 1989 Kelso Place, Kensington Device made safe. 18 November 1989 Married Quarters, Messines Road, Colchester Device exploded. Two people injured. (2) what were the educational attainments of prisoners convicted for theft at the time of their conviction for the latest available date.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from D. Lewis to Mr. Frank Field, dated 21 January 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions as to how many prisoners convicted for theft were unemployed at the time of their arrest, and what were the educational attainments of prisoners convicted for theft at the time of their conviction for the latest available date.No information is held centrally on convicted prisoners' employment status at the time of arrest. However, the National Prison Survey, conducted in January and February 1991, found that 59 per cent. of convicted prisoners whose principal offence was burglary or another offence involving theft were not in paid work just before they came to prison; 31 per cent. said they were unemployed seeking work.The National Prison Survey can also provide information on prisoners' educational qualifications. It found that qualifications of convicted prisoners whose principal offence was burglary or another offence involving theft were as follows:
Per cent. Degree or teaching qualification 1 Other higher qualification 2 A level or equivalent 2 O level or equivalent 36 Apprenticeship 7 Foreign qualification 1— Commercial 1— Any other qualification 3 No qualification 48 1 Less than one. About one third of those with O level or equivalent qualifications said that some had been attained in prison, as did about a half of those with higher qualifications.The National Prison Survey had a total sample of almost 4,000 offenders. The total number of respondents in the sample convicted of burglary and other offences involving theft was 675. The statistics presented here are estimates, and there may be some sampling error. There are no more detailed or up-to-date figures held centrally.