Rebecca Harris
MP for Castle Point · Conservative · United Kingdom
“An SME in my constituency once found someone sleeping rough on its premises and offered them a job. Does my hon. Friend agree that, when this Bill is enacted, it is very unlikely that a business will go to such lengths to give someone that kind of break in future?”
House of Commons21 October 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“About 20,000 pensioners in Castle Point are set to lose their winter fuel payment under this cruel and vindictive policy that the Labour Government have chosen to adopt.”
House of Commons10 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is spot on. It is the anxiety that it causes people. They do not know if they will live another 18 months or 25 years. People on fixed incomes, with no ability to raise that income, are very worried about spending money.”
House of Commons10 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have lots of low energy efficiency homes, including one of the biggest park home sites in the country, and I have many park home sites. Fortunately, we managed to find £2.5 million from the previous Government to retrofit some of them, but we still have a lot of people living in fuel-inefficient homes that are hard to retrofit.”
House of Commons10 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I do not think that I need to worry; I think we know that will happen, because we know about their behaviour and their concerns about putting the heating on, and their lack of understanding of how much every heating bill will cost them.”
House of Commons10 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I was not a fan of Gordon Brown, who once gave a derisory 75p increase to pensioners, but this policy was a huge success—credit to him. That is why my Government never changed it. For £300 for every pensioner, we give incredible peace of mind that they can put their heating on—”
House of Commons10 September 2024Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“There are even some cases highlighted to us by citizens advice bureaux of customers who have rung up their lender, painstakingly negotiated a repayment plan with it over a number of months, only for it to take the outstanding amount it is owed straight away, leaving them with no money to pay their mortgage and utilities and other household bills. Payday loan companies behaving as if they are priority lenders in this way causes a huge amount of distress in my constituency and around the country, and I welcome the proposal that they should be obliged to give three days’ notice and make it very clear that customers can cancel their arrangement. Alternatives such as the credit unions have been mentioned. Credit unions are doing fantastic work.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If they were to give typical cash costs, that would make pricing more transparent for potential borrowers, and it could also mean lenders start to compete on that basis in their advertising, which might bring down the cost of these loans and therefore have a further benefit for potential customers. I want to say a few words about the proposed restrictions to the continuous payment authority provision, which allows companies to take money from people’s bank accounts. Some payday loan companies have exploited that provision by simply taking money directly out of customers’ accounts on pay day even after those customers have done the right thing and have admitted to their payday lender that they are struggling and might need to reduce their payments.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“These loans are often what might be termed distress purchases to cover the cost of a sudden event such as a school trip or a broken boiler, and people are therefore looking for ease of access, but when they listen to these companies’ marketing they could be forgiven for thinking that ease of access is the only factor they should consider when taking out one of these loans. I am sure Members will have heard many of the adverts—some may even have particularly irritating jingles rattling around in their heads now—and I have never heard an advert for one of these companies that says, “Our typical APR is just 5,000% per annum and a staggering 8% lower on average than that of our nearest competitors.” They simply do not market on those issues.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have talked about marketing issues, and I particularly support the desire to give an indicative cash cost in advertising. I know that the current regulations require companies to give a typical APR in their adverts, which is of course important, especially if there is a possibility of roll-over. However, on the whole it is not relevant if somebody is taking out what they intend to be a short-term, one-month loan. The APR does not give people much indication of their ability to pay the loan back. It is very hard to judge that, and to judge other companies and what they are offering.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Terrified, my constituent began to repay the payday loans in favour of her mortgage, which obviously led to thousands of pounds of mortgage arrears and ultimately to her facing imminent eviction. She then got involved with the citizens advice bureau. I give enormous credit to citizens advice bureaux, and I am sure we are all extremely grateful for the fantastic work they do in our constituencies. They should be the first port of call for people in such difficulties, along with the Money Advice Service. The fact that someone was pushed to the point of losing their home over payday loans tells us just how pernicious and dangerous they are. I cannot think of a case that makes their irresponsible practices more apparent or better shows why the Bill’s provisions are incredibly important.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I wish to give one example, a lady in my constituency who took out three payday loans to help to pay the bills. She was subsequently made redundant, and her relationship broke down due to domestic violence. She was therefore unable to repay her loans, and of course she began to get phone calls from the loan companies—up to five times a day from each company—and letters harassing her to pay. On many occasions, she was wrongly given the impression that they were priority creditors. They put her under a lot of pressure. She tried many times to renegotiate her loans, but she felt immensely threatened. She then went into counselling for domestic abuse, and the lenders’ harassment made her feel more anxious and depressed.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In many ways, the cheap suit and the cheap comforting grin have been replaced by the cute advertising gimmicks that we heard about earlier. I support the Bill’s recommendations enormously. We have heard a lot about the Citizens Advice payday loans survey, which gave frightening statistics about what is clearly still going wrong in the industry. I think 77% of respondents said they were having trouble paying their loan, and about 65% had extended their loan without being clear how much it would cost them. That is extremely worrying. Only 8% said that they were given any information about the availability of free debt advice, which tells us an awful lot about the problem. I do not think any Member of Parliament has not had someone in their constituency who has suffered from payday companies getting them into deeper debt and roll-overs.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I will try to be as efficient as possible with time, as I am well aware of the preciousness of time on Fridays. I congratulate the hon. Member for Sheffield Central (Paul Blomfield) on introducing the Bill, which contains sensible measures. High-cost credit is a serious and growing problem, and the irresponsible actions of some of today’s payday lenders are beginning to resemble little more than traditional loan sharks knocking on the front door. However, the key difference that makes those firms so dangerous is that whereas not every vulnerable household in the country has a friendly neighbourhood loan shark knocking on their door, pretty much every household is likely to have a TV, radio or computer through which they are constantly bombarded with clever and manipulative advertising almost every time they switch on.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“As I rattled through my speech, the point I was trying to convey was how those lending companies often ensure that they put themselves in the position of being the priority lender. They ensure that they get their money back and it is the children who go hungry or the mortgage that goes unpaid otherwise. That is the problem.”
House of Commons12 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I congratulate the Minister on what he is offering to help bring empty properties back into use, but in Castle Point we also have a notable number of derelict smaller sites. What advice or support can the Government give to help councils bring forward these sites as well?”
House of Commons8 July 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister will be aware that Essex county council is currently consulting on proposals to close the Deanes school—most recently rated by Ofsted as “good” with elements of “outstanding”—in my constituency. Clearly, the loss of the school will greatly reduce choice for parents, so will the Minister meet me to discuss the options to try to resist the plans?”
House of Commons24 June 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Secretary of State for his reply. I, like many hon. Members, am dedicated to promoting apprenticeships in my constituency, particularly in small and medium-sized businesses, but they are often very busy and hard to reach, so it is difficult to get across the message about what is available. Ironically, they are often the firms that would most benefit from an apprentice. Will the Secretary of State outline the specific measures available to promote apprenticeships and any support the Department can give hon. Members in doing so?”
House of Commons13 June 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We are grateful for the improvements that we have already seen in south Essex, but the Minister is aware of the long-running campaign for a third road off Canvey Island, having visited the area himself. Local residents and local business leaders in particular think the case for a third access road is now more compelling than ever in terms of growth, because of the many business developments taking place along the Thames Gateway. Will the Minister or the Secretary of State meet me and others to discuss the business case for a third road?”
House of Commons25 April 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is making a very good point in citing evidence from opinion polls, but do we not all know on an anecdotal basis that the European Court of Human Rights, and human rights in general, have, tragically, become a watchword for abuses of the system? Indeed, they have effectively become a joke, and that is very damaging to the whole concept of human rights.”
House of Commons1 March 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my hon. Friend agree that the British public saw no mischief being created in British culture prior to our entering into the convention and that it is only since our entry that they have seen a slew of wealthy barristers getting much wealthier by doing a lot of things that seem to subvert our traditional culture? There was no apparent reason to introduce this convention in the first place, and that is a great cause of concern and confusion for the public.”
House of Commons1 March 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have heard a superb debate on the moral and philosophical merits of human rights. We seem to have lost our way slightly on looking at the real problem we are facing in this country, which is a disconnect between what our judges are decreeing in our law courts as a result of the Human Rights Act and what the public understand to be common sense. The Bill addresses that issue, and we may have slightly veered away from looking at it directly.”
House of Commons1 March 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my right hon. Friend welcome today’s news that university applications for UK universities are up 3.5% this year and at their highest level ever for disadvantaged students?”
House of Commons30 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On that point, does my hon. Friend agree that it is quite often the local voluntary community groups such as the Mickey Payne Memorial Foundation, which was set up by my constituent Caroline Dearson, that are leading the way in spreading best practice, support networks and awareness within their communities?”
House of Commons22 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Sometimes the problem for carers arises when they reach the point at which they admit that they can no longer look after their loved one who has dementia, because it can be difficult to choose the right kind of care home or environment. The gap at such a point might need to be filled by the voluntary sector or Admiral nurses, as the Minister was describing, to help people to ensure that they are putting their loved one into a suitable and dementia-friendly environment.”
House of Commons22 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The very least we could do is allow the police to do their job, and when they recognise that individuals are clearly unfit to drive for whatever reason—drug-driving or medical impairment—we should allow them to act.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One such case was brought to me by one of my constituents, whose niece, Natalie Wade, died on the way to buy her wedding dress, mown down by a driver who categorically knew he was unable to see appropriately to drive but continued to do so. He refused to recognise his obligation to report that to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which is what we require medically unfit drivers to do. Hon. Members might also be aware of the case of a lady called Cassie McCord, who was killed by a driver with impaired eyesight who had been stopped three days earlier by the police. The police were unable to prevent him from driving, he continued to do so and she died when he ran her over only three days later. We do not stop such people driving but we need to avoid these preventable deaths.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Drugged and drunk drivers have made a decision to incapacitate themselves, whereas those driving while unfit for medical reasons might not have done. The effect on our roads is the same, however, as that driver is incapacitated while driving a vehicle that can kill. The police should have the power to take a licence away or prevent someone they believe to be unfit to drive from doing so until it can be established otherwise. We know that 1,100 casualties and 50 deaths are caused every year by drug-driving, but I cannot quote the number of casualties on our roads caused by people driving while they are medically unfit—for example, because their eyesight is impaired—because we do not record the figures. In my short time as a Member of this House, however, several tragic cases have been brought to my attention.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In both cases it is an offence to drive, but the law is not effective in preventing the problem. Arguing for the drug-driving offence in another place, Lord Henley recognised that although being unfit through drugs is an offence, it is not prosecuted often enough because of the difficulty the police have in trying to prove that the driver is sufficiently impaired. That has hampered the police in taking drug-impaired drivers off our roads and the new provision will give the police a proportionate power to do so and punish them appropriately for endangering the public. I do not consider those who drive while unfit for medical reasons in the same category as drug-abusing drivers; nor do I believe that they should necessarily be punished as severely as they might be under the Bill.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I want to support some of the many excellent provisions in the Bill, and in particular the inclusion of drug-driving as an offence on which the police can act at the roadside in a proportionate and simple manner. There have been many such cases of which I have been made aware and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon Central (Gavin Barwell) on having campaigned on the issue with great success. I am disappointed that the Government have not taken the opportunity to go slightly further and consider road traffic offences more generally, including the laws on those who drive while medically unfit. Of course, the problems caused by drug-drivers and those who drive while medically unfit are incredibly similar from a public safety point of view.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Someone who is apprehended by the police because their driving is impaired by alcohol can have their vehicle taken from them at the roadside, and the new provisions will go a long way towards ensuring that that happens more often with drug-driving and that we can prosecute drug-drivers more readily and more easily. If a person fails a roadside sight test, however, such as that which one needs for a driving licence, it is impossible for the police to take their keys and require them to have an eye test. Perhaps we could extend the scope of the Bill—I hope in Committee that we can take the provision one step further and consider those who are medically unfit to drive, for whatever reason.”
House of Commons14 January 2013Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my right hon. Friend agree that often what statutory consultees such as the utility companies and the Highways Agency assure people is sustainable for the local infrastructure does not tie up with the reality of people’s everyday existence on the ground?”
House of Commons17 December 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my hon. Friend agree that this is the crux of the matter—that the employees were persuaded that their pensions would be secure not by some strange private equity financiers or some faceless spivs, but by their long-term employers, their trusted and respected employers, Ford? Does he agree that the moral responsibility for this therefore remains with Ford?”
House of Commons4 December 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Does my hon. Friend agree that the degree to which the affected pensioners, with absolute unanimity, blame Ford for the situation is quite astonishing? I have not had one constituent say that they are disappointed with the management of Visteon. As they stand outside the Ford dealership on Saturday mornings, they unanimously hold Ford responsible.”
House of Commons4 December 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I believe that Jackie’s work gives an invaluable insight into how we can break down the barriers that prevent offenders from becoming safe and productive members of their community, once they have repaid their debt to society. I will explain Jackie’s project and her findings later, but first I want to analyse the extent of the special learning needs among our national inmate population. The sad truth is that no one is at all sure how many people in our prisons actually suffer from dyslexia or other learning difficulties. In most cases, the information accompanying people into prison is unlikely to show whether learning difficulties or learning disabilities have been identified.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to raise this important issue. I am doing so because of a whirlwind or, as some might say, a force of nature, who entered one of my constituency surgeries earlier this year—my constituent, Jackie Hewitt-Main. She came to tell me about a project she had undertaken in Chelmsford prison, “Dyslexia Behind Bars”. During that project, she assessed more than 2,000 offenders for special educational needs, and attempted to work with them to help them understand their learning difficulties and to succeed where the education system had so far failed them. The effect on the re-offending rates of the inmates who took part is truly astounding, and I want to bring that to the full attention of the House and the Government.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There is good reason why that information should be collated nationally. I am aware that the Government are moving to a system of payment by results, under which market mechanisms might pick up such issues and ensure that we address them properly.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Similarly, the Government cannot properly analyse any causal link between the lack of basic literacy and offender behaviour, or assess how far educational failure or the failure to pick up dyslexia in schools leads to offender behaviour in later life.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Friend, will know more about it than I do—defines rehabilitation as: “Treatment aimed at improving an offender’s character or behaviour (including education, counselling, employment, training, etc.) that is undertaken with the goal of reintegrating the offender into society.” All Members would agree that one of the most basic necessities effectively to integrate into our modern society is the basic ability to read and write. With that in mind, I find it hard to see how the Government can allocate and target rehabilitation resources, or commission them effectively, if those data are not collected.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“According to Ministry of Justice figures published earlier this month, we currently have more than 86,000 prisoners, so we can estimate that about 26,000 offenders in UK prisons suffer from some form of dyslexia, but we do not know for certain. I was surprised and disappointed to learn that, historically, the Government have kept no data whatever centrally on the numbers or percentage of the prison population who have special educational needs, such as dyslexia, or even on how many are illiterate. I was surprised and disappointed because the two main aims of our penal system are to punish effectively and to rehabilitate offenders. “The Oxford Dictionary of Law”—my learned colleague, my hon.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I absolutely do, and given what I will be saying, I hope that many others will agree with my hon. Friend and me about that. According to the Prison Reform Trust report “No One Knows”, fully half the offenders in British prisons have problems with basic literary skills. It notes: “The most consistent information about the number of offenders with learning difficulties or learning disabilities is that no one agrees on how many exist.” With regard to dyslexia, for example, estimates of prevalence among offenders range from 4% to 56%. However, the general average in prison-based studies is about 30%, although rates of serious deficit in literacy and numeracy generally reach up to about 60%.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“She found that 10% of dyslexic offenders were serving sentences that were related to strings of driving offences involving driving without a proper licence or insurance. When Jackie asked them why they were not properly licensed, she found that most either could not pass the theory test or simply had not bothered trying because they knew that they would fail. If it is difficult to get through life without reading and writing, it is also quite difficult to get through life without driving a car.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is also true that a significant number of dyslexics try to avoid altogether any situations in which they have to read or write. If that aversion to reading and writing is severe enough to make it daunting even to fill in a simple form, they are really lost. Basic literacy is essential for interacting with the rest of society, while illiteracy can be a source of immense frustration and impoverishment and, of course, a factor in crime. I will talk about the detailed findings of Jackie’s report in a moment, but one fascinating insight that she discovered was that a number of the dyslexic prisoners whom she interviewed were locked up for offences relating directly to their aversion to reading and writing, and specifically to form filling.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I was lucky enough to be diagnosed with dyslexia before I sat my A-levels, but, in fact, a large number of people with dyslexia have always slipped through the net of our education system. For those who leave school hampered by their dyslexia to the extent that they still cannot properly read and write, the frustration and embarrassment they felt in the classroom too often becomes a part of their daily life. Many dyslexics, if not most, are very good at creating coping strategies and at adapting their day-to-day life to avoid situations in which they are hampered by their dyslexia. Certainly, the vast majority of them never become criminals; I have become a Member of Parliament—I am well aware that many members of the public think that the two are very similar.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I know exactly how embarrassing and frustrating it can be to work very hard in school on a piece of work—coming up with all sorts of fantastic ideas and arguments—only for the teacher to hand it back with red marks all over it because of poor spelling or grammar. That is soul-destroying, actually. I also know what it is like to be told that I am stupid or lazy, or both. It does not take very long for someone in that situation to feel that they cannot trust their own judgment about themselves or about their peers and others around them. Even worse, such people—perhaps to save face or from confusion and frustration—find it easy to begin to act up to the very labels they are given. Young men in particular often become difficult and disruptive, and that can lead them down a nasty and dangerous path from which it is hard to turn back.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That only underlines my dismay that we are not doing more, and do not have a proper audit. As I have said, one key advantage of having payment by results for rehabilitating offenders is that, through the introduction of market mechanisms, organisations—whether third sector or charitable ones—will put greater emphasis on identifying the causes of educational failure in our prisons and ensure that such factors are brought to bear on rehabilitation, whereas under previous Governments, we had one-size-fits-all solutions, particularly for education and training in prisons. I speak as a dyslexic myself. That is why, when my constituent came into my surgery, everything she told me rang a bell and struck a chord. She came to the right Member of Parliament, because I was extremely interested.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There should be a great deal more scrutiny on all factors, because there are others. In addition to literacy problems, there is a huge number of social factors, as well as the fact that many members of the prison population have had head injuries or personality disorders. If we are to drill down, deal with our re-offending rates and our prison populations and, ultimately, achieve what we want by keeping our streets safer, all those factors need proper consideration. We always want to hear that people have been locked up and put away, so that they cannot be on the streets to offend, but they come out again and if we do not stem the tide, we will not address the problem. The issue is not new. For many decades, various social commentators have explained that there is a link between educational attainment and the propensity to commit crime.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My aim is not to raise the plight of dyslexics or in any way to excuse any form of offending behaviour but to highlight a way in which we can drastically reduce reoffending rates and ultimately keep our streets safer for the British public.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There is an opportunity to use an innovative method of reaching and teaching them before they are released back into society. I am quite certain that that will dramatically reduce their reoffending figures. Historically, education in prison has not been held in high regard by the public as an effective tool to rehabilitate offenders—a fact that was mentioned in an Education and Skills Committee report in 2005. Sadly, I do not believe that that perception has changed in the minds of the public today. The public does not have much confidence or belief in the educational work of the prisons and their ability to rehabilitate. The first role of our prison system should always be to punish offenders and so act as an effective deterrent to reoffending.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Chelmsford prison has now received many personal requests to transfer, as prisoners and their families hear on the grapevine of the success of the project. I should like to extend my thanks to the Minister. I wrote to him on this matter earlier this month and received an extremely helpful letter and an offer to meet me and Jackie, for which I am grateful. Moreover, I also welcome the announcement yesterday by the Secretary of State for Justice that he will be reviewing the educational approach taken in the youth custody estate, where we are currently detaining about 1,800 young people, with a 70% likelihood of reoffending. It seems highly likely that among that cohort, there will also be a large proportion with undetected learning needs.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Of the first 17 prisoners to be released, four are employed in trades, two in building, one a fork-lift driver and one a film producer; two are employed by charities, one teaching disabled people the skills to get into work and one mentoring young offenders; two are voluntary workers, one mentoring adults with learning difficulties and one supporting men on probation; two have started their own businesses; five are currently unemployed; one is at a top university doing an engineering degree; and just one went back into prison. Moreover, of the first 40 offenders to become mentors, 10 were also trained in PTLLS—preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector—qualifications. All 10 finished the course and passed with those qualifications.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, it is a useful indicator that shows that the reoffending rate of the project participants is less than a tenth of the national average. An example of that reduction in recidivism is the case of three serial offenders who had each been in and out of prison more than 40 times—none of them has reoffended since their release four years ago.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In the two years, prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults fell dramatically—the figures really are quite dramatic—which prison officers have attributed to the “Dyslexia Behind Bars” project, although, unfortunately, they rose after the project ended. All prisoners involved in the project improved their literacy skills to a level advanced enough to extend their choices of work and leisure activities and prepare more effectively for their lives outside. Of the 17 prisoners in Jackie’s first two groups who were released four years ago, only one has reoffended. That represents a 5.9% proven reoffending rate within four years, compared with the national rate of 55% within two years, or 68% within five years. Clearly, that sample is too small to be statistically reliable.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I have learnt more in 8 weeks than in all 41 years of my life.” Jackie and the mentors helped prisoners to learn how to read and fill in forms, to take and pass the driving theory test and to take and pass the building site construction skills test, which meant that they could legally work in construction. That helped to give a sense of optimism and direction to prisoners in preparation for their release. The project also transformed the prison as a whole—I am sure that the Minister would like to know that. Prison officers commented on how much calmer even the most violent prisoners became as their self-esteem rose along with their progress, resulting in a calmer and happier atmosphere across the whole prison.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Overall, 53% of the 2,029 offenders interviewed at Chelmsford during the project were diagnosed with dyslexia, which is a huge statistic. When they came out of prison, the great majority of them were either working or in education. Within weeks, several prisoners with the literacy skills of an average four-year-old had learned enough to write their first letters home and to read the letters that they received back. A testimonial from Prisoner J said: “Jackie has shown me things that no one else has ever been able to do before: reading, writing and sums.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“More than 200 prisoners were individually taught and supported over the first part of the project by Jackie and her trained mentors, but that figure quickly grew as the project developed and spread. A further 70 prisoners were successfully helped by mentors who transferred to Wayland prison to extend the reach of the project to another part of the prison estate. Fifty male prisoners went through learning workshops with Jackie. Their literacy levels were at the lowest pre-school level, and they needed to develop early learning and life skills. They discovered that they had a range of strengths which they could build on to develop their learning and to gain self-esteem. They were all helped to create their own highly individual learning plans to understand how to manage their own life, attitudes and behaviours.”
House of Commons21 November 2012Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗