HC Deb 26 February 1996 vol 272 c369W
Mr. Cohen:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make it her policy to collect information on literacy levels on the basis of the definitions in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report, "Literacy, Economy and Society"; and if she will make a statement. [16904]

Mr. Paice

Yes.

The OECD report covers literacy levels for countries which took part in the first stage of the international adult literacy survey. The UK is taking part in the second stage. The Department is helping to fund the survey of UK literacy levels by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. This uses the same definitions as the first stage.