Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time between a British passport holder (a) applying for and (b) receiving a National Insurance number.

The Department has recently developed a digital service which enables employment inspired National Insurance Number (NINo) applications to be made on-line, removing the need for the majority of applicants to attend a face to face appointment.

Due to the suspension last year of the employment inspired NINo service, because of Covid 19 restrictions, demand for the NINo service is extremely high. The average time taken to process applications, including British Passport holders, is around 10/12 weeks. The Department is currently recruiting and training additional staff to reduce these waiting times.