Prisons: Coronavirus

(asked on 19th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's guidance, COVID-19: National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, which prisons are permitted to run classroom-based education while operating under Exceptional Delivery Model level 3; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 24th November 2020

Our priority is to limit the spread of the virus and to protect the lives of those who live and work in our prisons. Throughout the pandemic we have acted on public health advice, and we will continue to do so. The nature of prisons as closed environments and the demographics of the prison population pose particular challenges in managing the risk of outbreaks and heightened transmission. As a result, classroom-based education provision is currently not available across the adult prison estate. We have, though, been working with all Prison Education Framework (PEF) and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) providers in England to support prisons, which has allowed learning to continue via in cell activity, distraction material and learning packs.

The Exceptional Delivery Model (EDM) directs staff responsible for education, provider staff, key workers and prison staff, such as the Learning and Skills Managers, to engage with learners. The EDM structure is in place to take a risk-based approach to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections being introduced and spread. Under the EDM guidance, provider staff are able to access wings with the aim of enabling in cell learning and facilitating one to one activities. This includes the pick up and drop off of in cell learning packs and also completion of learner enrolment.

Within the Youth Secure Estate the delivery of education remains a particular priority as we seek to mirror the position taken for vulnerable children in the community, where it is possible to do so. It is our desire to continue to provide ‘face to face’ classroom-based education, notwithstanding local variations and the impact of potential outbreaks amongst staff or children.

We recognise the impact restrictions brought in to control the spread of infection have on services in prisons and that these restrictions must be proportionate to the risk posed. We will continue to keep them under active review. Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons, or re-introducing them where necessary, continues to be guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can be safely implemented, ensuring that we can keep staff and prisoners safe.

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