§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the findings of the OECD report, "Education at a Glance", in respect of UK adult literacy rates. [3106]
§ John HealeyThe Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development report, "Education at a Glance", published in June 2001 and based on fieldwork 395W undertaken between 1994 and 1998, notes the relationship between differences in literacy levels and income inequality. The United Kingdom performs better than some of our international competitors, including the United States, but has ground to make up to achieve the higher levels of literacy skills in countries such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Government have recognised the vital importance to individuals and the economy of improving adult literacy and numeracy. Research suggests that improved literacy and numeracy skills can help people earn up to £50,000 more over their working life. The benefit to society of better skills has been valued at £10 billion a year. Our strategy, "Skills for Life", launched by the Prime Minister in March, will improve the basic skills of 750,000 adults by 2004. Many of these will come from groups we have prioritised for our support, including the unemployed, those in low-skilled jobs and those living in disadvantaged areas. By helping them improve their literacy and numeracy skills, we aim to create a more prosperous and more equal society. As we set out in the Labour manifesto, this is the first of our 25 steps to a better Britain.