6. Question No. 6—CorrectionsTONI SEVERIN (ACT) to the Minister of CorrectionsQuestion No. 6—Corrections6. TONI SEVERIN (ACT) to the Minister of Corrections: How many of the 7964 prisoners managed by Corrections in September 2022 were assessed as not meeting English literacy competency standards according to the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool and how many prisoners were assessed as not meeting numeracy competency standards using the same tool?Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister of Corrections): I am advised that on 30 September 2022 there were 2175 prisoners who were assessed as being at levels 1 to 3 for English literacy competency standards; 2415 prisoners were assessed as being at levels 1 to 4 for numeracy competency standards.Toni Severin: Is the Minster concerned that as of 10 October 2022 just 87 male and 12 female prisoners could be confirmed as enrolled in an intensive literacy programmes?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Corrections like many others has faced challenges with COVID-19 and more recently staffing shortages. These have limited Corrections' ability to deliver formal learning programmes in a face-to-face setting.Simeon Brown: Not the Kelvin we used to know.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Corrections has taken clear action—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Sorry to interrupt. Simeon Brown—a number of out of order interjections; that was one of them for which you will stand withdraw and apologise.Simeon Brown: I withdraw and apologise.SPEAKER: Sorry for interrupting your answer.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Corrections has taken clear action to mitigate the reduction in formal face-to-face learning by offering other ways people in prison can learn. People in prison can access learning materials and numeracy and literacy materials provided by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa secure online learning tools other forms of independent and informal learning as well as employment- and skills-based opportunities. So while the formal face-to-face stuff was difficult to arrange there were other ways that Corrections mitigated this.Toni Severin: Is the Minister concerned that as of 10 October 2022 just 53 male and eight female prisoners could be confirmed as being enrolled in the intensive numeracy programme?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: If the member thinks back to the answer I just gave—that was difficult during COVID and Corrections mitigated it by providing other ways to learn. For example people in prison can access learning materials provided by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa secure online learning tools other forms of independent informal learning and employment- and skills-based training. I am advised that Corrections is in the process of increasing delivery of its contracted programmes including the intensive learning. These programmes are now offered face to face at 11 sites.Toni Severin: Is it acceptable that on 10 October 2022 Corrections was unaware of the literacy competency of 2111 prisoners and the numeracy competency of 2129 prisoners?Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Can I just clarify that: is she saying was Corrections aware" or "not aware"? Just—Toni Severin: Unaware.Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Was Corrections unaware? Look the member wrote a written parliamentary question and Corrections answered it.David Seymour: Point of order. The question was very clear. It was "Is it acceptable Corrections is unaware?" It is certainly true that the Minister has given that answer in a written parliamentary question—not Corrections as he just claimed. The question to the Minister today is "Does he think it's acceptable?" And I think we have a right to know if the Minister thinks that information is acceptable.SPEAKER: Yeah the actual question hasn't been addressed. Simply saying that Corrections has answered a written question—I think the written question is probably what the supplementary has been based on so it's—Hon KELVIN DAVIS: Well if the member is saying that Corrections was unaware and yet an answer was provided I'm not sure how she can assert that Corrections was unaware.SPEAKER: It's been addressed now."