Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving literacy education in prisons.

Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel includes representatives from the Department for Education with whom we work closely to ensure that prison education is well-aligned with community education.

HMPPS has also worked to improve literacy rates for prisoners through core literacy education and whole prison reading strategies. Latest published data (for 2023/24) shows a 5% increase in participation in English functional skills across public prisons in England, and a 21% increase in prisoner learners who achieved a full grade in English functional skills, compared to 2022/23. Heads of Education, Skills and Work are now in every prison, bringing expertise from the education sector directly to prison education. New core contracts will be launched later this year which will deliver enhanced screening and assessment in English, reading and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), as well as screening for additional learning needs. HMPPS is piloting two reading and literacy projects across 15 prisons to test approaches to reading and literacy. Reading screening has been introduced to identify prisoners reading support levels, enabling the development of prison reading strategies and effective commissioning through the Core Education Contracts.

All prison officers undergo training in their roles and responsibilities with supporting education, including literacy education and reading. At the launch of the National Reading Framework, HMPPS provided dedicated training to key HMPPS staff. The National Reading Framework provides guidance for prisons to develop and assess the impact of tailored reading support for prisoners as well as promoting a culture where prisoners are encouraged to read for pleasure.