Written questions by Midgley.

What steps she is taking to increase access to educational opportunities in Knowsley constituency.

This government has a driving mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the link between background and success. Education is at the heart of this mission, ensuring all young people get the best start in life and are set-up to achieve and thrive.This starts in the early years, ensuring that every child, including those in Knowsley, gets the best start in life and families are able to access the parenting support and high-quality early education and childcare they need to thrive. The government’s Plan for Change sets the ambition for a record number of children to start school ready to learn in 2028, and the department is taking steps through the expansion of government funded childcare, programmes to boost the quality of early education and care, and delivery of Family Hubs, including in Knowsley, to deliver on this ambition.The department wants to drive high and rising standards for all children and young people, particularly the most disadvantaged, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills and support to thrive. The creation of Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams is a central part of our strategy to deliver high and rising standards across all schools.RISE teams will work to create a school improvement system where all schools can navigate a path to improvement through a mix of both universal and targeted interventions. There is a wealth of excellence that exists in all parts of our school system and the new RISE teams will facilitate networking and sharing best practice, bringing together oversight and coordination of improvement programmes to empower and challenge schools to better access this support and learn from one another.Since 2022, Knowsley has been one of department’s 24 Priority Areas. Priority Areas are areas of low attainment and high rates of disadvantage. The place-based programme aims to increase outcomes at key stage 2 and key stage 4 and has provided funding of up to £1.8 million for Knowsley schools.Participation in the programme has been strong with nine Knowsley schools (six mainstream secondary and three alternative provision schools) taking part in the key stage 4 strand, and 50 primary schools engaging in the early years activity to improve outcomes in key stage 2. Work is currently underway to capture learning from the programme to ensure the sustainability of the work in Knowsley schools.The department also continues to deliver a three-year attendance mentoring programme in areas of high levels of pupil absence, which includes Knowsley. The programme provides intensive one-to-one support to persistently or severely absent pupils, which covers those who currently miss more than 10% or 50% of their education respectively. All Knowsley secondary schools have engaged with the programme.The pilot programme has already successfully supported pupils with a wide range of challenges, including low level anxiety, special educational needs, poor attitude to learning and complex family circumstances. The pilot evaluation showed improvements in individual pupils’ attendance, wellbeing, home routines and engagement at school.It is vital that all young people have access to a range of post-16 educational options, including A levels and technical qualifications. The department recognises the concern about the lack of A level provision in Knowsley, and the reintroduction of A level provision in the borough is being considered as part of regular discussions by departmental officials with local post-16 providers on the topic of the educational offer available.The department remains committed to increasing access to educational opportunities for children and young people in Knowsley by ensuring that they can access an inclusive and extensive educational offer that adds value and helps them to achieve their long-term career aspirations.

What steps she is taking to improve GCE A-level provision in Knowsley constituency.

This government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people, essential to which is ensuring every young person has access to high-quality post-16 pathways.It is vital that all young people have access to a range of post-16 educational options, including A levels and technical qualifications. The department recognises the concern about the lack of A level provision in Knowsley, and the reintroduction of A level provision in the borough is being considered as part of regular discussions by departmental officials with local post-16 providers on the topic of the educational offer available.Students from Knowsley currently study A level provision in colleges in local surrounding boroughs. We understand that this necessity to travel can be a barrier to young people’s participation. Local authorities are responsible for putting in place transport arrangements to help young people aged 16 to 19 to access education or training, including those aged 19 to 24 with special educational needs.The department remains committed to ensuring that young people have access to an inclusive and extensive educational offer that enables them to achieve and thrive. We will continue to keep this under review and make evidence-based decisions that ensure the best educational experience possible for Knowsley’s young people.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of dental practices that accept new NHS patients in Knowsley constituency.

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.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to employment opportunities for disabled people in Knowsley constituency.

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.

How many people are living with (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions in Knowsley constituency.

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-0Where 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-0This 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.

How many (a) children and (b) adults are registered with an NHS dentist in Knowsley constituency.

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/

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dentistry provision in Knowsley constituency for (a) children and (b) adults.

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.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour in Knowsley constituency.

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.

What estimate he has made of the number of people living with Alzheimer's in Knowsley constituency; and what plans his Department has to improve dementia (a) diagnosis and (b) care for those people.

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.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of antisocial behaviour in Knowsley constituency.

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.