Written question asked by Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Adonis (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 April 2006.

Prisons: Special Educational Needs

Question: How many of those serving sentences in HM Prisons in England and Wales on the nearest convenient date (a) have been assessed as having educational needs; (b) have been assessed as having, in particular, basic literacy and numeracy needs; (c) have been assessed as being unable to read; (d) have been assessed as having special educational needs (SEN); (e) have attended educational classes on that day; and (f) have been confined to their cells, unemployed except for routine exercise and feeding.

Answer: The information required is not yet collected centrally, though it is held by establishments across the country in varying degrees of detail. The collection and transfer of learner data is a key area for improvement in the new Offender Learning and Skills Service as set out in the Green Paper Reducing Re-offending through Skills and Employment (December 2005).

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 4662; 680 c204-5WA
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Custodial treatment Education Prisoners Prisons Special educational needs Literacy Numeracy
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk