§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the literacy rates for the populations of(a) Wales and (b) England were in each year since 1997. [161010]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisInformation on adult literacy skills has not been collected on a regular basis, and annual data since 1997 are not available. However, in October 2003 the Department for Education and Skills published the Skills for Life Survey: A national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. This survey assessed the literacy and numeracy skills of around 8,000 adults aged 16 and above in England.
The literacy findings are shown in the following table. The assessment levels correspond to the new literacy and numeracy core curriculum and National Standards: Level 1 is broadly equivalent to a lower grade GCSE (grade D-G) and Level 2 to a higher grade GCSE (A*-C). Overall around 16 per cent. of adults had literacy skills below Level 1.
471WAs education is a devolved matter, the Department does not have data covering the rest of the United Kingdom.
Overall Literacy Base: all respondents with literacy level (7874) Percentage of 16 to 65-year-olds Number of 16 to 65-year-olds million Entry level 1 or below 3 1.1 Entry level 2 2 0.6 Entry level 3 11 3.5 (All Entry level or below) (16) (5.2) Level 1 40 12.6 Level 2 or above 44 14.1 100 31.9 Source:
For population figures: Census 01