Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the areas of development set out on page 6 of the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board for HMP/YOI Low Newton for 2020-21, published in October 2021, what funding the Government plans to provide to enable the governor of HMP/YOI Low Newton to invest in new educational and vocational initiatives to allow for additional and less stereotypically women’s employment opportunities.

The funding of Prison Education is based on the number of prisoners and the type of establishment. Governors are able to decide, within limit, how much of the education budget is allocated to the core (Prison Education Framework) contract and how much is spent on niche provision via an Education Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). There is further scope to move allocated monies around between establishments to cater for individual learner need at the discretion of the Director. The total education budget is just under £150 Million.

The Curriculum at HMP Low Newton is reviewed annually and learners are surveyed to ensure courses are relevant and of interest to them. Whilst it is important to provide learning that meets the wishes of learners, we also deliver the core skills of numeracy, literacy and IT. We also continue to deliver courses which will support the women into employment on release and provide personal development, specifically tailored to meet the needs of the women in Low Newton’s care.