Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve adult literacy rates.

This government recognises the importance of English, both in work and everyday life. That is why we provide full funding for adult learners in England to secure English qualifications from entry level to level 2.

To raise standards of adult literacy, we are reforming English Functional Skills qualifications, which are accessed primarily by adults. This will make sure that these qualifications are more rigorous and better recognised by employers.

Through the Flexible Learning Fund, we are investing over £11 million to design and test ways of delivering learning to adults with low or intermediate skills more flexibly.