Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of eligible people took up Healthy Start vouchers in (a) Birkenhead, (b) the Liverpool, city region and (c) the UK in the last period for which figures are available.
Jane Ellison
The following table outlines the proportion of eligible people who applied for and received Healthy Start vouchers in Wirral (including Birkenhead), Liverpool, Liverpool City Region areas and the United Kingdom using the latest data covering a four week period. The take up rate is therefore a snapshot rather than an average of all four week cycles during an annual period.
Cycle No. 161 Covering Period: 24 August – 20 September 2015
Area |
Recipients |
Eligible |
Take Up |
||
Liverpool |
5,250 |
6,557 |
80% |
||
Halton |
1,141 |
1,544 |
72% |
||
Knowsley |
1,859 |
2,287 |
80% |
||
Sefton |
1,755 |
2,344 |
75% |
||
St Helens |
1,585 |
2,003 |
79% |
||
Wirral (Birkenhead included) |
2,834 |
3,509 |
80% |
||
UK |
430,620 |
585,990 |
72% |
||
Birkenhead Postcodes |
Beneficiaries (by Postal Sector) |
Under One |
Over One |
Pregnant |
Beneficiary Child with Pregnant Mother |
CH41 |
555 |
127 |
387 |
41 |
67 |
CH42 |
607 |
135 |
432 |
40 |
51 |
The numbers of families eligible and the take up rate for Healthy Start are not available below local authority level, so the figures for Birkenhead are included as part of the overall figures for Wirral. Numbers of beneficiaries for Birkenhead using postcode data are provided. All eligible people are contacted by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit and are invited to apply. The Department also publicises the scheme via the Healthy Start website and helpline.