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Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I had responsibility as a Minister for prison education when its funding was transferred from the Home Office to the education department. Sadly, I then moved to another department—sadly in the sense that I was not able to continue to try to promote education in young offender institutions. I very much agree with what the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, said about the importance of young people completing a programme that they have begun before they get transferred to another institution. That is extraordinarily disruptive and wasteful of taxpayers’ resources. It is also fundamentally important to ensure that every young person in an institution because they have been convicted of an offence that leads to custody is given the opportunity to have a decent go at some kind of education or training. It is another form of waste if, while they are in custody, nothing is done to move them on and give them some sort of basis for getting a qualification when they come out of a young offender institution, which, in turn, we all know is enormously important in preventing reoffending. I fear that we still have not solved that issue adequately. I very much hope that the Bill can move us forward and make sure that every young person in a YOI gets proper education and training.