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Written question asked by Steve Rotheram (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 February 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 February 2014 (named day). It was answered by Matt Hancock (Conservative) on Monday, 10 February 2014 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Literacy: Merseyside

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of adults in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Merseyside who are unable to (i) read and (ii) write.

Answer

The 2011 Skills for Life survey Small Area modelled estimates1 provide the following information about proportions of adults aged 16 to 65-years-old with above and below the 'functional literacy' threshold (ie National Qualification Framework Level 1), defined in the Leitch review as

‘the level needed to get by in life and work’.2

Level 1 is equivalent to GCSE grades D-G. Adults with skills below Level 1 can read or write, but their skills may be limited, for example, they may not be able to read bus or train timetables.

Data are available for 2011 parliamentary constituencies, including Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree and Liverpool, West Derby. Table 1 as follows provides the estimated proportions of people in these constituencies with below Level 1 literacy. The data do not separate reading and writing.1 Available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/2011-skills-for-life-survey-small-area-estimation-data

accessed on 6 February 2014.2 HM Treasury (December 2006) “Leitch Review of Skills. Prosperity for all in the global economy-world class skills. Final Report”, p. 43.

Table 1: Mean estimates of people in 2011 Liverpool constituencies with below Level 1 literacy
2011 parliamentary constituency name
 Proportion of people with below Level 1 literacy (percentage)
Liverpool, Riverside
 21.6
Liverpool, Walton
 23.3
Liverpool, Wavertree
 17.9
Liverpool, West Derby
 21.7
Source:
2011 Skills for Life survey small area estimates.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
186850; 575 c500W
Session
2013-14
Subjects
Merseyside Literacy
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk