Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2016 to Question 51837, what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the difference between Gypsy, Romany or Traveller understanding of written English in young offender institutions and that of other young males.

The learning programmes and the Curriculum in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) are built on a foundation of literacy and numeracy in line with expectations set out in the National Curriculum.

In March last year we introduced new education contracts in all public-sector YOIs, which significantly increased the amount of education provision available to young people.

All children on arrival go through a comprehensive assessment of their education needs, building on any available information from their time in the community. These assessments shape their education programme, if they identify significant literacy issues these will be targeted.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) and HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) publish an annual report on ‘Children in Custody’ that monitors gypsy, traveller and Romany (GRT) children in YOIs and secure training centres (STCs). There is also a direct measure within the education contract which reports on the progress young people make, which is an analysis of the performance and achievement of minority groups against the performance and achievement of wider YOI population. We recognise the importance of improving the literacy of young offenders and will monitor the findings of the latest ‘Children in Custody’ report for 2015-16, including how it relates to GRT children and their ability to understand written English.