§ Mr. AshdownTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years do not have a National Insurance number; and for what reasons; what assessment he has made of the effects on access to work of not possessing a National Insurance number; and if he will make a statement. [110809]
§ Dawn PrimaroloStatistics on young people without a National Insurance number are not available. Allocation of the National Insurance numbers is normally via the automatic data transfer of children approaching their 16th birthday from the Child Benefit system to the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS). Young people who fall outside the scope of the Child Benefit System do not automatically receive a National Insurance number. There is no legal requirement to have a National Insurance number before applying for employment. The legal requirement is to apply for a National Insurance number on entry to employment.
When an individual without a National Insurance number registers for employment, the Employment Services Agency will issue them with a temporary number.