Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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It is only fair to point out that the Chaplains' Report commends the recent efforts by the prison management at St. Patrick's Institution to improve conditions there, including the improved educational facilities and the provision of separate accommodation and education units there for those under 18 years and those over 18 years.

Literacy work has been a strong element of the Prison Education curriculum since the early 1980's. A number of significant initiatives in the area of prison literacy commenced or were strengthened since 2003 which paralleled efforts to address adult literacy in the community. These include:

the fuller use of negotiated learning plans for all literacy students;

introducing the new FETAC level 1 and level 2 literacy courses;

the introduction of the National Adult Literacy Agency's (NALA) assessment framework, "Mapping the Learning Journey" in each prison's Education unit;

devising and delivering the NALA and Waterford Institute of Technology 30 hour Initial Tutor Training Course for teachers new to prison education; and

drawing up and rolling out of a national Literacy Plan for Prison Education.

In relation to St. Patrick's Institution, the position is that all inmates are interviewed soon after arrival both for the School and the Industrial Training workshops and there are ongoing basic literacy courses in both the Education Unit and the Special School educational unit for inmates under 18 years of age. Every effort is made to encourage inmates to partake of the courses available to them.

In the Special School there are 6 teachers providing classes as well as two workshops providing training in catering skills and industrial skills. The fully equipped sports hall of the Unit is in daily use with accredited fitness instructors and a Physical Education teacher involved. Support services are provided by two Probation Officers and Psychology, Medical and Chaplaincy Services. These personnel are available to inmates on a daily basis.

In total, there are 18 City of Dublin VEC teachers working in the Institution's Education Unit. Of these, at least half work in the literacy/numeracy area. The curriculum also extends to subjects such as: art/crafts, music, computers (including computer literacy), food & nutrition, English, French, maths, history, social studies, parenting. However, all of the Unit's teachers are aware of the low literacy levels prevailing and will take steps to tailor-make the subject level to the poor literacy levels of their teachers of their students. A total of 322 individual prisoners attended the Institution's Education Unit over the school year 2006/07. It must be remembered that participation in education varies with factors such as the turnover of the overall inmate population. The vast majority of the 322 attendees (circa 80%) were intensively involved for 10 or more hours of education classes per week.