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Education and Other Themes

A CSO Frontier Series Output - What is this?

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This chapter examines offenders' engagement with education & training and other themes, including housing, transport and deaths. The education component includes those presented in the Introduction as being in 'Education & training only' and 'Education & training and substantial employment'. The sources for educational data included are those which are directly funded by the state and does not include private educational institutions.

Education and Training

The last economic status up to April 2016 for just over one-third of offenders (35.0%) reflected engagement with education & training, and just under one-third were here in the first instance after April 2016 (32.8%). In May 2019, just over one-fifth (21.9%) of offenders were engaged in education & training.

Table 3.1 Offenders in education & training by time period1
 Last economic status up to April 2016First economic status after April 2016Last economic status up to May 2019
 Number%Number%Number%
Education & training only97034.291032.156019.6
Education & training and substantial employment200.8200.8602.2
All engaged in education & training 99035.093032.862021.9
       
All offenders who were matched2,850100.02,850100.02,850100.0
1All numbers rounded to the nearest ten.
Up to April 2016After April 2016Up to May 2019
Education & training only34.175438596491232.070175438596519.6140350877193
Education & training and substantial employment0.8070175438596490.7719298245614042.24561403508772
All engaged in education & training 34.982456140350932.842105263157921.859649122807

Over two-thirds (2,040) of offenders have an administrative education & training record that could be related to the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). NFQ levels are presented in Table 2 in bands due to potentially disclosive figures for some specific NFQ levels.

There were 1,850 offenders engaged in education & training before April 2016. Two in three of these (64.5%) had achieved at most NFQ level 3, which is the equivalent of the Junior Certificate. Just over one in three (34.6%) had been enrolled on, or received an award for, NFQ levels 4 – 6, (the Leaving Certificate and post-Leaving Certificate courses). Just one in 100 were enrolled in further or higher education, (level 7 and above).

The most significant change in the offenders' education levels was the increase in the proportion at NFQ levels 4 - 6, which rose from 34.6% up to April 2016 to 41.8% in May 2019.

Table 3.2 Highest NFQ level for Offenders and Census 2016 population1
Offenders De facto Census 2016 population in April 2016
 Highest NFQ up to April 2016Highest NFQ after April 2016Highest NFQ up to May 2019 Highest NFQ up to May 2019
 Number%Number%Number% Number %
NFQ Levels 1 - 31,19064.51,23060.51,16057.0202,79010.9
NFQ Levels 4 - 664034.679038.585041.81,107,46059.7
NFQ Levels 7 +100.9201.0301.2545,62029.4
        
Matched to a NFQ record1,840100.02,040100.02,040100.0 1,855,870100.0
1The Census 2016 population includes those who are usually resident in the State, and successfully matched to an NFQ record in administrative data. The offender population is all those enumerated in prison setting on Census Night 2016 and successfully matched to an NFQ record in administrative data. All numbers rounded to nearest ten.
Up to April 2016After April 2016Up to May 2019
1 -3 64.451647757968760.519862677783256.9887199607651
4-634.629929767693138.499264345267341.7851888180481
7 +0.9184224743381960.9808729769494851.22609122118686

Renting

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) require only recording the details of one tenant at each dwelling. Therefore, offenders in rented accommodation may not be captured in the RTB data. References to 2019 represent the calendar year where offenders appeared in the data as opposed to 'up to May 2019 only', as in previous sections.

Between 2008 and 2019, 18.5% of offenders are known to have made at least one private rent payment. In 2013, 13.4% of offenders made a rent payment, falling to 5.3% in 2019.

Table 3.3 Offenders making rent payments registered with Residential Tenancies Board 2008-20191
 Number%
20081003.6
20091906.7
20102709.6
201132011.3
201236012.7
201338013.4
201433011.5
20152609.2
2016 (up to April 2016)1906.8
2016 (after April 2016)2107.3
20171906.5
20181505.4
20191505.3
   
Total offenders in RTB records 2008 - 201952718.5
Total offenders2,850100.0
1All numbers rounded to nearest ten.
Offenders
20083.64912280701754
20096.66666666666667
20109.57894736842105
201111.3333333333333
201212.7368421052632
201313.3684210526316
201411.5087719298246
20159.19298245614035
2016 (up Census Night)6.7719298245614
2016 (after Census Night)7.29824561403509
20176.49122807017544
20185.40350877192982
20195.33333333333333

Deaths

Between Census night and May 2019, the deaths of 50 offenders were recorded in the Central Records System.

Transport

Over one-third (35.6%) of offenders have a driving licence record on the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) compiled by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in 2019. These records are categorised on the file as being 'current', 'disqualified', 'deceased', 'emigrated', 'ineligible' and 'licence in exchange'. The categories other than 'current' and 'disqualified' are combined into a single 'other' category here.

The number of offenders with a driving licence record on the National Vehicle and Drive File (NVDF) rose from 930 in 2016 to 1,010 in 2019.

The proportion of offenders with a disqualified driving licence dropped from 25.7% to 18.8% between 2016 and 2019.

Table 3.4 Driving licence status by time period1
Offenders All drivers
2016 2019 2016 2019
 Number% Number% Number% Number%
Current (%)69073.580079.24,093,10097.24,113,17095.8
Disqualified (%)24025.719018.820,9800.523,0400.5
Other (%)100.8202.095,8902.3155,7403.6
       
Total records940100.0 1,010100.0 4,209,970100.0 4,291,950100.0
1NVDF data are snapshots of the driver details records as of August 2016 and February 2019. Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.
CurrentDisqualifiedOther
Offenders 201673.526259378349425.72347266881030.7502679528403
Offenders 201979.191321499013818.8362919132151.9723865877712
All drivers 201697.21876690552290.5039062889613672.27732680551578
All drivers 201995.83070693913150.5410255586008533.62826750226767