Earl of Effingham

While His Majesty’s Government welcomed the report of the House of Lords’ Committee on a National Plan for Sport and Recreation, we do not agree with its proposal to establish a separate, new ministerial post for Sport, Health and Wellbeing.

The Government is committed to improving the health of the nation, including through supporting sport and activity, within its existing structures. Ministers and officials at Government Departments including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education work closely together on policies to promote sport, health and wellbeing.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Earl of Effingham

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 November 2024

Dear Lord Effingham,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many farmers committed suicide in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024 to date (HL2788).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales[1]; the latest available figures were published in August 2024 and covered calendar years up to 2023. Also published regularly are provisional statistics on suicide death registrations by quarter in England[2], the most recent of which were published in August 2024 and provided provisional death registrations up to Quarter 2 (April to June) 2024. The ONS holds death registrations for England and Wales only; separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland and are available from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)[4], respectively.

The ONS’ mortality statistics for England and Wales are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Deaths caused by suicide are investigated by coroners, and due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, there is delay of around six to seven months between the date of death and the date of death registration. As such, deaths are presented by date of registration rather than date of occurrence. With the deaths statistics linked above and provided in Table 1, many of these will have occurred months or, in some cases, years previously.

Occupation is reported at the time of death registration by the informant. Data on occupation is coded using the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC). For deaths registered from 2023 onwards SOC 2020[5] is used for coding, for deaths registered prior to 2023 it was SOC 2010[6]. The recorded occupation likely reflects the deceased’s main lifetime occupation or their occupation at the time of death.

The number of suicides by sex, country and occupation, deaths registered 2011 to 2021 can be found on the ONS website[7]. The numbers of suicides among farmers between 2022 and 2023 can be found in Table 1. Data for 2024 deaths registrations is not yet available.

Table 1: Number of suicides in farmers aged 20 to 64 years, in England and Wales combined, deaths registered between 2022 and 2023[8],[9],[10].

Farmers are identified by combining the following occupation groups: managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (SOC code: 1211), farmers (SOC code: 5111), agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 5119), agricultural machinery drivers (SOC 2010 code: 8223), farm workers (SOC code: 9111) and fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 9119).

Please note the numbers detailed here cannot be used to ascertain the risk of suicide among occupations, as relative suicide rates accounting for population size of occupation groups are not provided. Differences in numbers of deaths may merely reflect the underlying population structure as opposed to differences in risk.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/2001to2023registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter2aprtojune2024provisionaldata

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2023/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2020

[6]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2010

[7]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/15043suicidebyoccupationenglandandwales2011to2021registrations

[8]Figures are based on the National Statistics definition of suicide for those aged 20 to 64 years; this includes deaths from intentional self-harm and deaths caused by injury or poisoning where the intent was undetermined.

[9]The area is based on the persons usual residence as provided by the informant upon registration. Figures for England and Wales combined (area code K04000001) include death of non-residents.

[10]Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, the deaths presented here may have occurred months, or even years, before they were registered.

Since taking Office, the Government has welcomed announcements of around £100bn in investment into the UK. Investments announced at the International Investment Summit are detailed on the Gov.UK website titled ‘The UK IIS Summit secures £63bn’ and recent investments into the UK can be found online under ‘Revamped OfI’.

The UK continues to attract major investments across its priority sectors. Recent announcements listed on Gov.UK include Lendlease, DP World, Universal, OCBC, MBDA, Vishay, JLR and Rolls Royce.

These figures and examples are announcements and, in many cases, do not yet represent actual realised investment into the UK.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) worked closely with the Northern Ireland Office and Invest Northern Ireland to ensure that a diverse group of investors attended the Northern Ireland Investment Summit. Investors from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific markets all attended.

DBT teams globally work in conjunction with Invest NI colleagues to showcase Northern Ireland as a location for investment. The UK Government, via the Northern Ireland Office, has provided support to Invest Northern Ireland for additional international staff across the globe, helping to diversify foreign direct investment.

As Baroness Blake of Leeds set out in the Question for Short Debate on 16 October (HL Deb col 81GC 84GC), the Music and Dance Scheme is a long-term commitment and future funding for the scheme beyond this academic year will be announced in due course.

The government wants all pupils to be healthy and active. A positive experience of sport and physical activity at a young age can create a lifelong habit of participation.

Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject at all four key stages, and it is a vital part of a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils to access. The PE national curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities, are physically active for sustained periods of time, and lead healthy and active lives.

The government published the School Sport and Activity Action Plan update in July 2023. The action plan is attached. This sets out the next steps and provides further detail for school leaders and teachers on how the government will support them to improve the quality of PE and school sport, and to deliver two hours of PE a week. This will help all pupils to engage in physical activity and meet the Chief Medical Officers’ recommendations of 60 active minutes a day.

The government’s Get Active strategy, published in August 2023, also provides a blueprint for a system wide approach to support schools in getting one million more children to meet the Chief Medical Officers’ daily recommended amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The department will publish non-statutory guidance for schools this spring, which will illustrate the practical steps taken by schools to provide two hours of PE, as well as ensuring equal access for girls and boys.

The government is prohibited by law in prescribing the exact time a school should allocate to individual subjects in the curriculum. On 8 March, the government made an announcement on physical education (PE) and school sport which included an expectation for both primary and secondary schools to strive for a minimum of two hours of PE and sport in the curriculum time every week.

We hear the concerns that have been raised around the changes to inheritance tax rules.

This Government will give mental health the same focus as physical health, which is why we are recruiting 8,500 new mental health support workers.

Changes to APR are designed to be fair and sustainable in the long term, and they will not affect most farmers.

Defra has a range of initiatives aimed at supporting farmer’s mental health and wellbeing more generally and we will continue to work with a range of farming charities to ensure that changes in policy are delivered effectively. We have provided £500,000 of funding to deliver projects through specialist organisations to support farmer’s mental health and wellbeing. We will continue to look for opportunities to support farmers and will host a roundtable in December with expert organisations to understand the issues causing mental ill-health in farming communities. Defra’s Farming & Countryside Programme blog also has information relating to external wellbeing services available specifically to farmers and rural communities.

We understand that farmers face numerous challenges which can affect their wellbeing. Recently, we have continued funding support for TB affected farmers and their families through the Farming Community Network, which will provide a national, free-to-access business and pastoral advice service. We will also pay out £60 million through the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by the unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter.

This Government takes the issue of food security very seriously. Tackling inflation is one of this Government’s priorities. Inflation has more than halved, but it remains a challenge which is why we continue to monitor all key agricultural commodities and work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.

Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Some of these factors are influenced by our trading arrangements with other countries. Changes in food prices are dependent on changes in one or more of these factors.

Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food businesses throughout the supply chain to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.

Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.

UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

The Minister for Aviation, in the Department for Transport, regularly meets with stakeholders across the sector and values this engagement.

For the period in question, the Minister for Aviation has held no meetings with the Mayor of London, and therefore, has not discussed Heathrow Airport expansion proposals.

The Secretary of State met with the Mayor of London in February 2025. The agenda of this meeting was not to discuss Heathrow Airport Expansion. However, the expansion proposal was briefly raised in the appendage of the meeting.

The Secretary of State for Transport and ministers in the Department for Transport regularly meet with airports and other stakeholders across the sector and value this engagement.

For the period in question, the Secretary of State for Transport has met with Heathrow Airport Limited on 4 occasions and ministers in the Department for Transport have met with Heathrow Airport Limited on 1 occasion.

The Secretary of State for Transport and ministers in the Department for Transport regularly meet with airports and other stakeholders across the sector and value this engagement.

For the period in question, the Secretary of State for Transport has met with Heathrow Airport Limited on 4 occasions and ministers in the Department for Transport have met with Heathrow Airport Limited on 1 occasion.

Automatic Enrolment has already seen more than 11 million people enrolled into pension saving to date, with around an additional £29 billion in real terms saved into workplace pensions in 2021 compared to 2012.

Automatic Enrolment (AE) is and will continue to be based on the principle of extending saving to as many people as possible for whom it makes sense to save. We remain committed to increasing the number of employees who are saving, through implementing the AE 2017 Review measures to lower the age for being automatically enrolled to 18 and abolishing the lower earnings band for workplace pension contributions, which will disproportionately benefit lower earners, giving them access to an employer pension contribution for the first time. This will see 3 million people saving £2 billion extra a year.

The Government supported the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023 which gives us the legislative powers to implement the expansion of AE subject to consultation. We remain committed to doing this in the mid-2020s.

The Chancellor meets regularly with the Mayor of London and has discussed Heathrow expansion with him on several occasions.

The Chancellor meets regularly with the Mayor of London and has discussed Heathrow expansion with him on several occasions.

Treasury Ministers regularly meet with airports and other stakeholders across the aviation sector and value this engagement. Ministers have met with Heathrow Airport Limited during this period. These meetings continue to inform the Government’s position on Heathrow expansion.

Treasury Ministers regularly meet with airports and other stakeholders across the aviation sector and value this engagement. Ministers have met with Heathrow Airport Limited during this period. These meetings continue to inform the Government’s position on Heathrow expansion.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the UK’s principal carbon pricing mechanism and covers the manufacturing of fertiliser. However, in recent years, UK-based fertiliser manufacturers have received more free allowances than they needed to surrender to cover their emissions.

The government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027, as first announced in December 2023, meaning imported fertiliser will also be covered by a carbon price. The UK CBAM rate charged on imports will reflect the carbon price paid by domestic industries after support mechanisms (such as free allowances) have been taken into account. As a result, we expect initial liabilities arising from the UK CBAM to be relatively low whilst encouraging the supply and use of fertiliser with lower levels of embodied carbon than would otherwise have been the case.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to the health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces. The Defence People Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-27 promotes the importance of health and wellbeing across Defence, adopting a holistic approach to mental health, physical health, and social health. It directs a coordinated approach to promote, prevent, detect and treat poor health and wellbeing early to enable optimal recovery. It ensures that all our people will be in a state of positive physical, mental and social health and wellbeing throughout their career.

The Ministry of Defence is also working to raise financial awareness among Service personnel; all three Services provide links on their welfare sites to several financial advisory sites including the Money and Pension Service (https://maps.org.uk/en#) and Joining Forces Credit Union (JFCU) (https://www.joiningforcescu.co.uk/). Service personnel are provided with online and face to face briefings from the JFCU which aim to assist them, their partners, families, and dependants, to be better equipped to manage their money and financial affairs. Officers can also signpost their personnel to the JFCU which supplies bespoke products to move Service personnel away from Payday Loan Companies. JFCU also attend events on military bases and provide general financial advice to both existing personnel and new recruits.

Regarding advice on nutrition, the Defence Nutrition Advisory Service (DNAS) provides evidence-based nutrition education and training through career, starting in Initial Military Training. The DNAS also provides over a hundred evidence-based factsheets and briefs within the themed areas of: Public Health Nutrition, Sports and Exercise Nutrition Military Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition and Nutrition for Health Professionals.

This Government recognises that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to the defence supply chain and wider UK prosperity. That is why we are taking steps to make it easier for SMEs to access opportunities and to bid for requirements. We are also encouraging our major suppliers to publish their own sub-contract opportunities through the Defence Sourcing Portal, making it easier for SMEs to find and bid in for defence work.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be hosting a SME event to help support the procurement activity of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). This initial event will explore the opportunities GCAP presents, as well as giving SMEs direct contact with prime suppliers and senior MOD stakeholders connected to the programme.