Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that National Insurance Numbers are issued three months before a person's 16th birthday.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC issues National Insurance Numbers to most young people just before their 16th birthday.
In order for a child to be issued a National Insurance Number (NINo) automatically, the child must be part of a live Child Benefit claim when they are 15 years, 9 months old.
If a child has been part of a claim, but is not part of a claim when they are 15 years, 9 months old, HMRC can be contacted to request a NINo. This process takes approximately 15 working days.
If a child has never been part of a Child Benefit claim (or a claim for a childcare service administered by HMRC) HMRC will have no record of them. An online application can be made to the Department for Work and Pensions to obtain a NINo. HMRC does not collate information on the number of young people who cannot be included in the automatic process.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled Emerging Together: the Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan, published on 8 May 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support adults with autism who experience loneliness.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
In November 2021, the Government established a Loneliness Engagement Fund to engage with those most affected by loneliness in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Autistic Society received £30,000 to develop resources to address loneliness for autistic people and undertake a social media campaign.
In May 2022, approximately £5 million was awarded to 12 organisations in England to inform understanding of how transport can assist those experiencing loneliness. The National Autistic Society received over £250,000 to offer training to transport providers, ensuring that staff have an increased understanding of autism and removing barriers for autistic people on public transport and enable social connections.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure a competitive market for domestic energy users.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to believe that competition is the best driver of value and innovation in the energy market. However, there has been less scope for competition in the supply market during this period of high and volatile wholesale gas and electricity prices.
The Government wants a retail energy market that is both resilient and competitive, with companies able to invest in innovation and offer products and services that support decarbonisation. The Government is considering what reforms are needed to retail market regulation and will set out its plans ahead of the next price cap period.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that energy companies are able to offer competitive prices for (a) commercial and (b) residential premises.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Contractual terms offered to businesses are a commercial matter for energy suppliers. The Government encourages businesses to shop around to find the best deal. For domestic customers, the energy price cap will continue to ensure energy prices are limited.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of levels of competition in the UK energy market.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to believe that competition is the best driver of value and innovation in the energy market. However, there has been less scope for competition in the supply market during this period of high and volatile wholesale gas and electricity prices.
The Government wants a retail energy market that is both resilient and competitive, with companies able to invest in innovation and offer products and services that support decarbonisation. The Government is considering what reforms are needed to retail market regulation and will set out its plans ahead of the next price cap period
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the average class size in secondary schools in Burton in (a) January 2019 and (b) January 2022.
Answered by Robin Walker
The average class size in Burton in January 2019 and January 2022 are as follows:
School | Year | Average Size (by pupil) |
Primary | January 2019 | 26.7 |
Primary | January 2022 | 26.9 |
Secondary | January 2019 | 22.2 |
Secondary | January 2022 | 22.5 |
Data on class size is available at school level within the schools, pupils and their characteristics national statistics publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
This data contains the parliamentary constituency of each school which can then be aggregated to parliamentary constituency level.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an estimate of the average class size in primary schools in Burton in (a) January 2019 and (b) January 2022.
Answered by Robin Walker
The average class size in Burton in January 2019 and January 2022 are as follows:
School | Year | Average Size (by pupil) |
Primary | January 2019 | 26.7 |
Primary | January 2022 | 26.9 |
Secondary | January 2019 | 22.2 |
Secondary | January 2022 | 22.5 |
Data on class size is available at school level within the schools, pupils and their characteristics national statistics publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.
This data contains the parliamentary constituency of each school which can then be aggregated to parliamentary constituency level.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enlisting help from Staffordshire Fire Service to reduce delays in ambulance response times in East Staffordshire.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) advises that University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) have a range of measures in place to improve handover delays at Royal Stoke Hospital. These include the safe cohorting of patients which releases other crews to respond to new calls, direct referral of patients to Same Day Emergency Care, and the placement of Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers to improve the flow of patients and reduce handover delays.
Work by the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) to improve response times in East Staffordshire includes the introduction of a Clinical Validation Team comprising advanced paramedics working in control rooms, work to increase the proportion of calls closed over the phone or on scene, and maximising the use of alternative pathways to emergency departments. These interventions help to free up ambulance resource to respond to incoming calls more quickly, improving response times. There are also a range of national measures are in place, including continuous central monitoring and support from the National Ambulance Coordination Centre, and NHSEI has allocated £150 million of additional system funding for ambulance service pressures in 2022/23, supporting improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment, retention, and other funding pressures.
No such assessment will be made. Emergency service co-responding is a matter for local emergency services.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce ambulance response times in East Staffordshire.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) advises that University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) have a range of measures in place to improve handover delays at Royal Stoke Hospital. These include the safe cohorting of patients which releases other crews to respond to new calls, direct referral of patients to Same Day Emergency Care, and the placement of Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers to improve the flow of patients and reduce handover delays.
Work by the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) to improve response times in East Staffordshire includes the introduction of a Clinical Validation Team comprising advanced paramedics working in control rooms, work to increase the proportion of calls closed over the phone or on scene, and maximising the use of alternative pathways to emergency departments. These interventions help to free up ambulance resource to respond to incoming calls more quickly, improving response times. There are also a range of national measures are in place, including continuous central monitoring and support from the National Ambulance Coordination Centre, and NHSEI has allocated £150 million of additional system funding for ambulance service pressures in 2022/23, supporting improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment, retention, and other funding pressures.
No such assessment will be made. Emergency service co-responding is a matter for local emergency services.
Asked by: Kate Kniveton (Conservative - Burton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle ambulance handover delays at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) advises that University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) have a range of measures in place to improve handover delays at Royal Stoke Hospital. These include the safe cohorting of patients which releases other crews to respond to new calls, direct referral of patients to Same Day Emergency Care, and the placement of Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officers to improve the flow of patients and reduce handover delays.
Work by the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) to improve response times in East Staffordshire includes the introduction of a Clinical Validation Team comprising advanced paramedics working in control rooms, work to increase the proportion of calls closed over the phone or on scene, and maximising the use of alternative pathways to emergency departments. These interventions help to free up ambulance resource to respond to incoming calls more quickly, improving response times. There are also a range of national measures are in place, including continuous central monitoring and support from the National Ambulance Coordination Centre, and NHSEI has allocated £150 million of additional system funding for ambulance service pressures in 2022/23, supporting improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment, retention, and other funding pressures.
No such assessment will be made. Emergency service co-responding is a matter for local emergency services.