HC Deb 16 January 2002 vol 378 cc357-8W
Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of funding for prison education is provided from(a) Department for Education and Skills budgets and (b) Home Office budgets; what proportion of funding (i) goes directly to prisons from Government Departments and (ii) goes to prisons from the Prison Service; what proportion of funding is ring-fenced; what plans he has to change arrangements for prison education funding further; and if he will make a statement. [27638]

Beverley Hughes

[holding answer 15 January 2002]: Prison education funding is now entirely ring-fenced and administered jointly by the Home Office and Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Resources are transferred from DfES to the Prison Service via the Home Office, or in the case of juvenile establishments via the Youth Justice Board. Once transferred, the budget cannot be spent on other services. However, governors may direct resources for other activities towards education at their own discretion.

The Prisoners' Learning and Skills Unit based in DfES will be conducting a review of the funding, delivery and procurement arrangements for prison education with a view to ensuring more equitable funding arrangements across the estate.

Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in the last year for which figures are available were studying Open university courses; and how many and what proportion of those prisoners were studying level 1 Open university courses. [27639]

Beverley Hughes

[holding answer 15 January 2002]: The main thrust of education in prisons is to provide opportunities for offenders to attain a range of nationally recognised qualifications up to level 2, which will enhance their employability on release. The Prison Service supports provision which is also made for those with higher levels of ability, for example through distance learning and Open university.

However, information on take-up of Open university courses by prisoners is not held centrally.