§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the education budget for the Prison Service was for the 2000–01 financial year; and what it will be for the 2001–02 financial year; [154525]
(2) what the education budget for the Prison Service was for the financial years (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01; and what it will be for the 2001–02 financial year. [154527]
§ Mr. BoatengThe information available is for certain identifiable areas of education expenditure, covering payments to education and library service providers and purchase of education materials. It does not include the private sector managed prisons.
Expenditure in 1999–2000 was £47.4 million. Forecast expenditure in 2000–01 is about £50 million.
Both of these figures include Value Added Tax (VAT) payments, where applicable, but do not include refunds to prisons of any recoverable VAT, details of which are not readily available.
As announced in paragraph 23 of the recently published plans for the new partnership between the Prison Service and the Department for Education and Employment "Improving Prisoners' Learning and Skills", a copy of which is in the Library, funding for education, libraries and education materials will be at least £51 million in 2001–02, with planned increases to at least £59 million in 2002–03 and £63 million in 2002–04. These figures allow for VAT refunds.
§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the average number of hours per prisoner spent in educational classes per week, in each year from 1992 to present; and if he will make a statement. [152874]
§ Mr. BoatengThe available information is set out in the table. Information is not available for years before 1995. Comparable data are not collected from private sector prisons.
215WThe figures relate only to education classes delivered by education contractors, who are in the main further education colleges, and do not include vocational training, physical education or distance learning. Not all prisoners need or wish to participate in education classes and the figures do not therefore reflect the number of hours spent by those prisoners who engage in education classes.
Year Average number of hours per prisoner per week spent in education classes in public sector prisons 1995 3 hours 36 minutes 1996 3 hours 12 minutes 1997 2 hours 54 minutes 1998 2 hours 54 minutes 1999–2000 3 hours 12 minutes Note:
Figures may not all be on a like for like basis as the 1999–2000 hours of study data relate to the financial year not calendar year as previously.
Average number of whole weeks spent on remand by adult defendants in indictable cases in 2000 Averaqe whole weeks spent remanded: In custody On bail Number of defendants Adult defendants who were remanded in custody throughout court proceedings 6 0 1,563 Adult defendants who were remanded in custody for part of the proceedings 4 8 1.449 Adult defendants who were remanded on bail only 0 10 14,046 All adult defendants 1 6 24,750