Paul Davies MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
29 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Prisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40136More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of literacy programs in prisons.
Answer: We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing parti...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40135More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is provided to prison staff to support literacy education.
Answer: Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel in...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40134More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to (a) measure and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of literacy programs in prisons.
Answer: We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing parti...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' Release: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40133More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department provides support for prisoners to help them continue improving their literacy skills after release.
Answer: A key aim of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) prison education service is to support prisoners to develop their functional literacy skills so that they can be fully rehabilitated into society upon release. Prisoners have access to local ...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40132More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to improve literacy rates amongst prisoners.
Answer: Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel in...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordReoffenders: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40131More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the relationship between literacy improvement and re-offending rates.
Answer: We have robust evidence on the positive benefits of education to reducing reoffending, however, we don’t have specific evidence for the link between literacy levels and reoffending. We are currently improving our understanding of factors influencing parti...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 20 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40130More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving literacy education in prisons.
Answer: Improving literacy education, including reading, is a priority for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). HMPPS has established a panel of experts to provide advice on effective approaches for teaching reading in prisons. This expert panel in...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOffenders: WomenMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 11 March 2025 to Question 903119 on Female Offenders, whether specialised training includes suicide prevention traini
Answer: The Foundation training programme for all new prison officers includes learning in relation to suicide and self-harm. For officers working in the female estate, there is an additional week of Foundation training which gives officers an understanding of th...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons and Probation: TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the cost of providing suicide prevention training to (a) prison and (b) probation staff.
Answer: Suicide prevention training for prison staff has been developed by the HMPPS learning design team in conjunction with policy leads and subject matter experts. It is delivered locally, using a training for trainers approach where possible, to minimise the ...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21915More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how she measures the success of literacy programs; and if she will set benchmarks to track progress of those programs.
Answer: We are evaluating some of the programmes to support literacy delivered by partners and will look to publish an evaluation report later in 2025. We are also improving our understanding of the outcomes of different prison education types, including English ...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21914More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will allocate funding to support research on effective literacy interventions for prisoners.
Answer: We are evaluating some of the programmes to support literacy delivered by partners and will look to publish an evaluation report later in 2025. We are also improving our understanding of the outcomes of different prison education types, including English ...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21913More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to help tackle the (a) stigma and (b) barriers preventing prisoners from participating in literacy programs.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21912More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department is taking steps to form partnerships with (a) external organisations and (b) volunteers to support literacy initiatives in prisons.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21911More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to (a) assess (i) feedback from and (ii) outcomes of and (b) improve literacy programmes for prisoners.
Answer: We are evaluating some of the programmes to support literacy delivered by partners and will look to publish an evaluation report later in 2025. We are also improving our understanding of the outcomes of different prison education types, including English ...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21910More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department is taking steps to tailor literacy programmes for prisoners (a) with learning disabilities and (b) for whom English is a second language.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to support the use of (a) technology and (b) digital resources to enhance literacy education in prisons.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: Education and TrainingMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to take steps to integrate prisoner literacy programs with other (a) educational and (b) vocational training opportunities.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21907More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to tackle the shortage of qualified (a) teachers and (b) staff to provide literacy education in prisons.
Answer: The recruitment of qualified teachers is primarily a matter for the prison education providers. HMPPS is working with education providers to reduce teacher vacancies. The vacancy rate for all providers has reduced over the last few months. As of 15 Decemb...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners: LiteracyMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21906More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to ensure that all prisoners have access to high-quality literacy programs.
Answer: Reading is a priority for HMPPS, and improving prisoner literacy is a key aim of prison education and plays an important role in supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Formal literacy teaching follows national accredited qualifications, which...
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: DiseasesMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17442More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance to prisons on supporting children in custody in different pandemic scenarios.
Answer: The Youth Custody Service (part of HMPPS) works with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Education, and NHS England’s Health & Justice Children's Team to ensure a co-ordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of chi...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordYouth Custody: DiseasesMinistry of JusticeTabled 2 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17441More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to develop a coordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of children in custodial settings during future pandemics.
Answer: The Youth Custody Service (part of HMPPS) works with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Education, and NHS England’s Health & Justice Children's Team to ensure a co-ordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of chi...
Answered 10 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Offender InstitutionsMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) lack of access to education and (b) prolonged cell confinement on the (i) rehabilitation and (ii) future prospects of children in young offen
Answer: Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Yout...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Offender Institutions: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve collaboration between education providers and young offender institutions.
Answer: Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Yout...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Offender Institutions: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10657More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) staff shortages and (b) inadequate training on the educational experiences of children in young offender institutions.
Answer: Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Yout...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordYoung Offender Institutions: EducationMinistry of JusticeTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10656More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase the quality of education in young offender institutions.
Answer: Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Yout...
Answered 30 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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