MP for West Suffolk Matt Hancock chairs panel at Dyslexia Show

Matt Hancock has chaired a panel at an education show discussing prisoners who are dyslexic.

Mr Hancock, the MP for West Suffolk, told an audience at the Dyslexia Show that he believes ‘links between neurodivergence and imprisonment are being swept under the carpet’.

The former Health Secretary said: “The Centre for Social Justice found half of prisoners are believed to have dyslexia, while another report has recently discovered one in four prisoners grapple with ADHD – that’s five to ten times higher than that of the general population.

“These shocking stats highlight the urgent need for effective support systems for those with neurodivergent conditions within prisons.

“Prison governors do not give enough priority to education.”

Last year, Mr Hancock, who hid his dyslexia from colleagues for more than 20 years, founded the Accessible Learning Foundation (ALF).

One of the organisation’s focuses is helping neurodivergent prisoners.

The MP’s dyslexia bill is expected to return to Parliament in April.