8 Collaboration between Departments
We need to be brought together to work together
in order to crack this incredibly intractable nut. We also need
to tackle this within communities. I must emphasise that that
is never going to happen unless we have got somebody very high
up in Government who makes that happen.
[Libby Coleman][125]
81. If the Government is going to be successful in
raising adult's standards in reading, writing and doing maths,
the collaboration between the relevant Departments—Business,
Innovation and Skills; Education; and Work and Pensions—needs
to be well-structured and co-operation needs to be embedded deeply
in all Departments. Matthew Hancock told us that it was truly
cross-Government, and reported to him: "I am a BIS and DfE
Minister. […] Both. I am in both Departments, so this reports
to me. I do not do things with a BIS hat on and then with a DfE
hat on; it just reports to me".[126]
He went on to say that:
We are using a whole series of policy tools across
this Department, across DfE, across DWP and across the Cabinet
Office […] We are using a whole swathe of different policy
areas in order to try to tackle this.[127]
While it is clear that BIS and DfE are working together,
questions were raised about DWP's commitment. The Association
of Colleges made this point to us:
We encourage BIS and DWP to work closely to ensure
that practice and funding supports those who are unemployed and
seeking to gain the skills for employment particularly in literacy
and numeracy. DWP and JobCentre Plus need to recognise the time
it takes to improve these skills.[128]
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers—which
represents the interests of over 650 organisations delivering
vocational learning and employment/employability support—wrote
that "progress on tackling the lack of basic literacy and
numeracy skills in adults cannot be achieved unless and until
the Government integrates all education, employment and skills
policies across the three main funding Departments involved. There
must be a more coherent procurement across DfE, BIS and DWP with
co-ordination of data management, target setting and performance
management".[129]
82. Undoubtedly, there is a lot of effort and attention
given to adult literacy and numeracy, but there are concerns over
whether they are being channelled most effectively, as evidenced
by parallel pilot schemes in different Departments. Kris Ventris-Field,
a volunteer who has worked in the field of adult literacy for
over 25 years, wrote to express her frustration at the lack of
focus from successive governments:
Unfortunately, each government fails to learn
from previous initiatives—what has worked and what hasn't—and
we go round in an ever increasing circle, wasting time, energy
and millions of pounds on getting new initiatives in place, when
we could build on and refine those that already exist. There are
thousands of frustrated practitioners who are fed up of hearing
these messages and the press that results—when what they
want is support to get on with the job and to be listened to about
what works for people.[130]
The point is not necessarily to be coming up with
new schemes, but in maintaining and developing effective schemes
over the long term. This point was made by Alistair Fruish, Writer-in-residence,
at HMP Leicester, who wrote that "sadly, there are only a
handful of writers-in-residence remaining working in prisons.
Much of the expertise that has been built up over the last two
decades is in danger of being lost".[131]
83. The personal commitment of the former Minister,
Matthew Hancock MP, to addressing adult literacy and numeracy
was commendable, and his Ministerial roles in both the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for
Education (DfE) underpinned the close collaboration between the
two Departments. We hope that the present Minister, Nick Boles
MP, meets the high standards set by his predecessor, and continues
the close collaboration in his role as Minister of State for Skills
and Equalities, working jointly across BIS and DfE. The Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Communities
and Local Government (DCLG), the Ministry of Justice, and indeed
the Ministry of Defence, also have a crucial role to play in developing
and implementing adult literacy and numeracy policies and programmes.
However, those departments appear less able to collaborate on
a suitable level. In its Response, we look to the Department to
set out how it will achieve closer collaboration from these Departments.
We recommend that a civil servant in each of the relevant Departments
is chosen to act as a champion for adult literacy and numeracy.
Should close collaboration between these Departments not be delivered,
we recommend that the Minister be given more formal powers to
intervene in those Departments on matters of adult literacy and
numeracy.
125 Q37 Back
126
Q217 Back
127
Q200 Back
128
The Association of Colleges (ALE 23) para 19 Back
129
The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (ALE 9) page
2 Back
130
Kris Ventris-Field (ALE 50) page 1 Back
131
Alastair Fruish (ALE 85) extract Back
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