Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department uses to assess the suitability for courses for prisoners.

Every prisoner is subject to rigorous assessment on reception which informs a Personal Learning Plan. This plan is linked to prisoners' sentence plans and helps ensure provision is suitable to address needs. Prison Governors will then be held to account for the progress of each prisoners' in their establishment against that Personal Learning Plan as they progress through their sentence including transition to support through the gate and on release.

Responsibility for education provision in prisons is held by Governors. They control the budget, decide the curriculum, and have helped to choose the main providers. In addition, our prison education Dynamic Purchasing System allows governors to commission specific, short-term education provision to meet specialised learning needs. Governors will also need to be aware of the development needs of their population and commission suitable provision that is linked to local employment needs. This will help prisoners to take full advantage of employment opportunities on release.