§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) independent custody visitors' groups and (b) lay observers' panels published annual reports in the last year; and if he will make a statement. [49980]
§ Beverley HughesI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 7 March 2002,Official Report, column 514W.
§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to improve links between prisons and voluntary sector organisations. [49979]
§ Beverley HughesThe Prison Service is committed to developing and strengthening its relationship with voluntary and community organisations at all levels. For this reason a national Voluntary Sector Co-ordinator218W (Jo Gordon) was appointed in January 2001. She organised a series of regional consultation events, bringing together staff and volunteers from voluntary and community groups with Prison Service staff. A strategy "Working with the Voluntary and Community Sector" based on ideas and information from the consultation process was published in December 2001. This sets out recommendations for the development and better management of relationships with voluntary and community groups. A Prison Service Order based on the strategy will be issued to establishments in May 2002.
Further work in hand includes:
a guide on volunteering in prisons (which will be a companion to the "Guide to Good Practice for Voluntary and Community Organisations Working with Prisons", which was produced jointly with the CLINKS organisation last year):an induction pack for voluntary and community sector staff and volunteers new to working in prisons;Get Linked. A Guide to Community Links", produced in partnership with the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (Nacro), which will have a specific focus on building links with black and minority ethnic voluntary and community groups;a national conference in June 2002 to bring together voluntary and community groups with prison staff and representatives from other criminal justice agencies to review the progress made so far and help plan future developments.
§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the key performance target is for the improvement of prisoners' basic literacy and numeracy skills in the financial year 2001–02. [49990]
§ Beverley HughesThe target for 2001–02 is for prisoners to achieve 18,000 awards at level 2 for basic skills.