Question
The public are safer when people leave prisons with the skills to find work and stay out of crime. Despite the Coates review calling for education to be put “at the heart of the prison regime”, a decade later, cuts have halved the number of education hours in some of our prisons. Today, Ofsted and the chief inspector of prisons have both published a letter calling on Ministers to act on the review’s recommendations, and to tackle poor performance on purposeful activity in prisons. What is being done to ensure that prisoners receive the education that they need to find work and stay out of prison?
Answer
I am grateful for that question from the Chair of the Justice Committee, because that too is a crucial point. We are in a self-defeating cycle: the capacity problems in our prisons, which have been talked about in this Chamber for months, impair governors’ ability to move individuals around and get them to the right place, be it to substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, educational classes or work training. That is why the steps that we have taken are so important. However, I recognise the vigour with which the Chair and the Committee make their comments, and I certainly intend to work closely with them to deliver on this.17% vibes
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The reply links problems moving prisoners to their access to education and work training, so it recognises the topic. However, it does not name any programme, policy, or concrete step the department is taking to make sure prisoners receive education, and it refers only vaguely to steps already taken. The asker would most likely need to submit a follow-up to get the specific information they requested.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department doing to ensure that prisoners receive the education they need to find work and stay out of prison? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply engages with the topic by linking prisoner movement problems to access to educational classes and work training, but it never names any programme, policy, or concrete step the department is taking to ensure prisoners receive education. It refers vaguely to "the steps that we have taken" and a commitment to work closely with the Committee, which leaves the substantive question of what is being done unanswered. |