§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adults there were with less than acceptable levels of numeracy and literacy in each local education authority in(a) 2001 and b 2002; and what proportion of the adult population this represented in each case. [107921]
§ Mr. Ivan Lewis[holding answer 9 April]We do not have data on the number of adults with less than acceptable levels of literacy and numeracy in each local education authority for either 2001 or 2002. The Department has commissioned a new representative sample survey of working age adults in England to provide an up-to-date assessment of the scale of literacy and numeracy need. These estimates will be mapped to the new national basic skills standards and will be published in summer 2003. It is hoped that the data will be robust enough for regional estimates of adult literacy and numeracy to be produced.