Oral Answers to Questions

Lincoln Jopp Excerpts

Tuesday 5th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

Fewer than 20.

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

18. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of education and training provided to prisoners.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

We have reduced overcrowding to ensure that prisons have the capacity to focus on education and training. For example, HMP Highpoint’s state-of-the-art rail centre of excellence gives prisoners industry-standard training and guaranteed employment on release.

[Lincoln Jopp]

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Bronzefield category A women’s prison in my Spelthorne constituency. I saw that prisoners doing work were rewarded with small amounts of money, but the weighting of their pay preferred people who take part in numeracy and literacy over skills, such as working in the bicycle repair shop or the hair salon. Is that a national approach, or is it something the governor has done pragmatically to fit his personal circumstances?

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

It sounds like an interesting approach. I would be grateful if the hon. Gentleman wrote to me so that I can look into it and write back to him. It is certainly the sort of thing we need to be looking at.