To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many temporary national insurance numbers have been issued to non-EU nationals in each year since 1997; and if he will give a breakdown by nationality of the number issued in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.[181144]

The Department does not issue temporary national insurance numbers. Employers sometimes create temporary reference numbers for the purpose of their payroll records, where an employee has not provided a national insurance number. Such numbers are not recognised or used by either DWP or HMRC systems.