Anneliese Midgley

The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England, can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 4: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics.

Statistics on households required to spend more than 10% of their household income on energy bills are not available at the sub-regional level. The latest statistics at a national level can be found in the published fuel poverty trends statistics, in Table 20: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fuel-poverty-trends-2024

The tables below set out funding statistics for Knowsley constituency, Knowsley local authority, the North West and England in the last five years. Knowsley local authority is included instead of Merseyside, since Merseyside is not a local authority.

The department cannot provide comparable funding data for each of the last 10 years due to the changes in the funding system since that time. The scope of the per pupil funding before and after 2018/19 are not directly comparable. In particular, funding for the central services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/19, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.

For Knowsley local authority, the North West and England, the figures represent the funding provided through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). All of the figures in table one exclude growth funding but include premises.

The DSG is allocated at local authority level, and as such the equivalent figures are not available for Knowsley constituency. The constituency level data for Knowsley is therefore calculated based on the notional schools national funding formula (NFF) allocations for all mainstream schools in the constituency. The figures in table two are not comparable to those in table one, not only because DSG funding cannot be aggregated down to constituency level, but also because the context of the funding figures is not the same.

The tables below provide average per pupil funding from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

Table one

* Additional grants, such as the School Supplementary grant (SSG) and the Mainstream Schools Additional grant (MSAG) are included in these figures once they have been incorporated into the DSG.

Table two

** The allocations that schools within a constituency actually receive are determined by the local funding formula in their area. Additional grants, such as the School Supplementary grant (SSG) and the Mainstream Schools Additional grant (MSAG) are included in these figures once they have been incorporated into the DSG.

The department does not in general hold the specific information on students who study qualifications outside of their home local authority in the format requested.

The below table provides data on the number of students entering A or AS level examinations for the last five academic years for students whose home postcode is in the Knowsley local authority. The data covers students who reached the end of 16 to 18 study in the academic year stated, having attended a state-funded school or college, which could either be in Knowsley local authority or in another local authority in England.

Separately, the ‘A level and other 16 to 18 results’ statistical release provides data on the number of students entering A/AS levels by the end of 16-18 study, by the local authority where the state-funded schools and colleges they attend is located. This data release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results. This is available for Knowsley local authority at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4c733e68-1da4-40f4-cf42-08dcca5019b8.

Data on children’s centres is supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools database portal at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.

Based on information supplied by Knowsley local authority, one Sure Start children’s centre has closed in the Knowsley constituency since May 2010. The name of the centre was St Chad’s Children’s Centre, and the postcode was L32 1TZ. This is based on information supplied by Knowsley local authority as of 1 September 2024. These figures may be different to previous answers and could change again in the future, since local authorities may update the database at any time.

The department publishes annual statistics from school census data on children who have education, health and care (EHC) plans down to individual school level. The most recent figures for January 2024 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england.

In January 2024, there were 1,103 (7.1%) children with an EHC plan in Knowsley constituency. This data was published before the changes to parliamentary boundaries and will be updated to the latest boundaries with the next publication of the series.

The information requested is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Statistics on pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. These statistics include information on the type of setting that pupils with EHC plans attend, but not whether pupils attend the school named in their plan.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people with their employment journey. We are delivering a range of initiatives in Knowsley and across Merseyside to support disabled people into work including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and through Access to Work grants.

Disability Employment Advisers hold regular health-themed events in both Kirkby and Huyton Jobcentres, alongside partner organisations that support customers with managing health conditions and gaining skills. All events have a ‘quiet hour’, accessible for customers with Autism, special educational needs and mental health issues. Where health presents a barrier to employment, customers can benefit from additional time with a Work Coach.

Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive as part of the workforce. Local employers attend Kirkby and Huyton Jobcentres each week, and over fifty Disability Confident employers joined an employment event in Merseyside recently, all with vacancies and over 400 customers attending. The department works closely with Knowsley Chamber with regular sessions delivered to employers on Disability Confident and Access to Work, supporting them with reasonable adjustments for new employees and helping to retain staff.

As part of a wider project across Liverpool City Region, we are collaborating with Knowsley Borough Council to support people with special educational needs, disabled young adults, their parents, schools and colleges across Merseyside, on the transition between education and employment. This includes ‘Meet the Employer Sessions’ in our Jobcentres, with information on jobs, training and apprenticeships.

We have close links with Knowsley Works who run a positive inclusion programme for customers with physical and mental health needs. For customers with addiction issues, we have close working with Individual Placement and Support who attend our Jobcentres to speak to customers and work with peer mentors to encourage them to make better choices.

Several programmes have been funded locally to support disabled people move closer to work in Knowsley, including ‘Stepping Forward’, counselling and support for those customers who struggle to leave the house due to physical and mental impairments, dyslexia support which includes assessment and one-to-one support to help customers gain and retain employment and autism support.

Statistics for the total number of people living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level.

Statistics on the total number of people in living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)

Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication and can be found in tabs “5_Relative_ParlC” and “6_Absolute_ParlC”. These are only produced on a before housing cost basis.

A link to these statistics can be found here: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

According to data from the Alzheimer’s Society, Knowsley’s prevalence of people living with dementia currently stands at 2,200, with a diagnosis rate of approximately 64%. There are thought to be 982,000 living with dementia in the United Kingdom.

Those suspected of living with dementia are referred into the Later Life and Memory Service (LLAMS) within Knowsley, and assessments are completed within 10 days. A recent national audit shown that Knowsley’s overall wait time from assessment to diagnosis is 110 days, compared to the national average of 151 days. Following diagnosis, the LLAMS will deliver continued care, treatment, and support in line with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The service provides a named nurse, non-pharmaceutical therapies, and medication options.

There is a Dementia Care Navigator within Knowsley, which means any person living with a diagnosis of dementia is never discharged from a memory service. This offers a streamlined and accessible service without the need for new general practice referrals.

The Knowsley LLAMS began a pilot scheme, funded by NHS England, to improve diagnosis rates in Knowsley care homes, using the Diadem tool. They liaised with care homes to identify any residents who may be living in care homes without a formal dementia diagnosis, and were able to diagnose a further 40 residents with unspecified dementia, or refer them back to services for the full memory pathway.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK website profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist/

The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. NHS dentists are required to update their NHS.UK website profiles at least every 90 days, to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Knowsley constituency, this is the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.

The Dental Statistics - England 2023-24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, which includes the Knowsley constituency, shows that 46% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months, compared to 40% in England, and that 62% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

In 2023/24, 1,261 people in Knowsley, or 0.9% of patients, aged 16 years old and over had rheumatoid arthritis recorded on the practice disease register. This data is from the Fingertips data collection and is based on Quality and Outcomes Framework, with further information available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/msk/data#page/6/gid/1938133150/pat/6/par/E12000002/ati/501/are/E08000011/iid/91269/age/164/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/ine-vo-0_ine-yo-1:2023:-1:-1_ine-ct-163_ine-pt-0

Where local authority values are presented, these were calculated by assigning all patients of the general practice (GP) to the local authority where the GP is located.

We do not have data on the total number of people living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition in Knowsley. The count for MSK prevalence is not included in the Fingertips data collection, as the indicator is based on a survey. As such, the count would only reflect the survey sample, and not the population with MSK in any particular local authority. However, 24.6% of people aged 16 years old and over in Knowsley reported a long-term MSK condition in 2023. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/msk/data#page/4/gid/1938133186/pat/6/par/E12000002/ati/501/are/E08000011/iid/93377/age/164/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/ine-vo-0_ine-yo-1:2023:-1:-1_ine-ct-163_ine-pt-0

This indicator is a self-reported prevalence from the GP Patient Survey, it is not a diagnosed prevalence rate. The definition of long term is a condition lasting or expected to last 12 months or more. Local authority prevalence is based on residential postcode.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders.

Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

We will also put thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

We have set out to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

This will be achieved by drastically improving the police and wider criminal justice response, including a relentless pursuit of dangerous perpetrators and sustained support for victims.

The Ministry of Justice provides core funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.

All decisions on funding after March 2025 will be subject to the next spending review.