PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Education and Training for Prisoners - 5 November 2024 (Commons/Commons Chamber)
Debate Detail
Contributions from Jake Richards, are highlighted with a yellow border.
Lincoln Jopp
Spelthorne
12:12:58
Sir Nicholas Dakin
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
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.
12:13:31
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.
12:13:55
Jake Richards
Rother Valley
I join the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden) in calling for the Government to consider the children of prisoners. I met the children’s Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Janet Daby), just last week, and I know it is very much on her radar. However, this is an urgent issue. This week, I have been told about a child who had been living alone for months because the authorities simply did not know that their parent was in prison—
12:14:18
Mr Speaker
Order. That is not relevant to the question. Minister, would you like to respond? No. In which case, we will leave it there.
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