Written questions by Foody.

What estimate she has made of the number of active police officers in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.This data is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level only, and information at lower levels of geography, such as Parliamentary Constituencies is not collected.Table H1 of the data tables accompanying each 31 March release of the ‘Police Workforce’ publication shows the number of full-time equivalent police officers that are available for duty. The number of police officers available for duty excludes those on long term absence (career break, sick leave, study leave, maternity/paternity leave, suspension, special leave, compassionate leave and study leave).The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police station closures and has not collected this data previously.

How many police stations were operational in the Cramlington and Killingworth constituency in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.This data is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level only, and information at lower levels of geography, such as Parliamentary Constituencies is not collected.Table H1 of the data tables accompanying each 31 March release of the ‘Police Workforce’ publication shows the number of full-time equivalent police officers that are available for duty. The number of police officers available for duty excludes those on long term absence (career break, sick leave, study leave, maternity/paternity leave, suspension, special leave, compassionate leave and study leave).The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police station closures and has not collected this data previously.

How many veterans live in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.

The House of Commons library has an online data dashboard for constituencies which includes data on veterans taken from the most recent censuses in Great Britain. This is available here:https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-uk-armed-forces-veterans-2021-census/ England and Wales Census 2021 data showed that 4,387 people in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency reported that they had previously served in the UK armed forces. This represents 5.5% of this constituency’s population aged 16 and over. This compares with 5.0% of the population in the North East region and 3.8% in Great Britain.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help provide affordable housing in (a) Cramlington and Killingworth constituency and (b) the North East.

The Government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and ensuring that every part of the country benefits from it. We will set out further details in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to regenerate (a) town centres and (b) high streets in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.

This Government is committed to working with local partners to deliver economic growth and have asked the North East Combined Authority to draw up a local growth plan. We will support these plans by transferring more powers and responsibility to local leaders. The Mayor and Combined Authority are best suited to lead regeneration plans for the areas, with an in-depth knowledge of the opportunities and constraints of both Cramlington and Killingworth constituency and the wider North East.

What steps her Department is taking to support the use of buses in (a) Cramlington and Killingworth constituency and (b) the North East.

The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will pass the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including communities across the North East. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions.

What steps she is taking to increase connectivity between (a) towns and (b) villages in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency.

The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the government will pass the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including communities across the North East. By giving local leaders more control and flexibility over bus funding they can plan ahead to deliver their local transport priorities. The Department will work closely with local leaders and bus operators to deliver on the government’s ambitions.

What steps he is taking to support veterans in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency transition back into civilian life.

I am working across Government and with civil society to help those who leave the Armed Forces, including those in Cramlington and Killingworth, transition back into civilian life. Currently the Defence Holistic Transition Policy (JSP100) sets out how the Ministry of Defence supports Service leavers to assist in a successful transition, including through the Career Transition Partnership, Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence Transition Services (DTS) and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V).

How many and what proportion of people living in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency do not have access to an NHS dentist.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the 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.The Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the Cramlington and Killingworth constituency, have taken a number of steps to help improve access in this area, but we know we must do more.In the 2024 GP Patient Survey, 59% of respondents in Northeast and North Cumbria ICB had tried to get an NHS dentist appointment in the last two years. Of those who did try to get an appointment in the ICB, 24% were unsuccessful. This data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/2024/07/11/gp-patient-survey-dental-statistics-january-to-march-2024-england/