Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of shortages of prison staff on the provision of education in prisons.

Because of the way in which data on education in prison are collected, it is not possible to provide a direct answer to the question posed, but prisons put on education classes and workshops 4.5 days a week, for approximately 5 - 6 hours a day, with local variations in place.

While staff shortages can have some impact on education delivery, we are increasingly using technology and blended learning to increase the flexible delivery of education outside of the classroom. Attendance to education is higher now than it was before the pandemic lockdown in March 2020.