Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the implementation of the recommendations of the prison adult literacy survey, including identifying which recommendations have been implemented and in which prisons; the timeframe for the implementation of outstanding recommendations; the recommendations that the Government has decided not to implement; and the reason for that decision. [7022/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Irish Prison Service publication entitled, The Prison Adult Literacy Survey — Results and Implications, was published in September 2003. The major results of the survey showed that a significant number of prisoners had virtually no literacy skills — 52% of them were at level one or pre-level one literacy levels. In other words, more than twice as many prisoners are at the lowest level as compared with the general population.

The director general of the Irish Prison Service has informed me that the survey's findings are fully accepted and that the survey is providing the main focus for ongoing efforts by the prisons and prison education units to tackle the considerable adult literacy problem among prisoners as identified in the research. The prison service's efforts in the area of literacy tuition are also given focus and supported by the 2003 publication entitled, Guidelines for Quality Literacy Work in Prisons, which was produced by the prison education service, and which sets out a ten-point framework for redressing the poor literacy levels of prisoners.

It is envisaged that the implementation of the good practice guidelines will enable prison education units to reach and help an ever larger number of prisoners with literacy problems. None of the survey's recommendations relating to the prisons has been rejected for implementation by the Government, me or the Irish Prison Service.

To illustrate the progress made to date, actions taken following several of the survey's specific recommendations include the following. On the first recommendation, the existing policy of prioritising prisoners with basic education needs should continue and, renewed efforts have been made in this direction in recent years. This priority in terms of disadvantage impacts in practice on such decisions as, for example, the appointment of teachers to prisons by vocational education committees, the devising of programmes in prison education units, the recruitment and follow-up procedures among prison educators and the in-service support for teachers in prison.

Recommendation two proposed providing statistics on those with literacy problems in prison. It has emerged that this poses certain difficulties in practice, partly due to the absence of a precise definition of "literacy difficulty" and also an understandable tendency among people in prison, just as on the outside, to hide their problem. Notwithstanding these practical problems, efforts to obtain estimates as to the extent to which literacy needs are being met can be made in the formulation of literacy plans for each prison.

In line with recommendation three, the Irish Prison Service is implementing the new assessment framework devised by the National Adult Literacy Agency, Mapping the Learning Journey. To raise awareness of other staff within the prison system of literacy issues, recommendation four, an input designed to increase literacy awareness, and provided by the prison education service, is included in the initial prison officer training course.

The guidelines for quality literacy work in prisons are being actively promoted, in accordance with the fifth and eighth recommendations. This includes piloting two templates for the "negotiated learning plan", one for long-term, one for short-term prisoners to be used with literacy students. Recommendation nine stipulated that more efforts should be made to link the education and training needs of prisoners. The literacy action plan prepared by the prison education unit of each prison can become one vehicle for integrating the efforts of the education and training sectors in prisons.

Other survey recommendations such as peer tutoring, recommendation six, promoting family literacy, recommendation seven, and developing post-release support for prisoners who undertake literacy tuition in prison, recommendation ten, are all promoted by the prison education service wherever feasible.