Personal Independence Payments

Debate between Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist and Lord Henley

Tuesday 28th February 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, the important thing to remember about PIP, which is what we are discussing today, is that, as I made clear in one of my earlier responses, we are looking not at specific conditions but at how those specific conditions or medical conditions affect their ability to live an independent life and then, as the noble Baroness said earlier, to make sure that the benefit goes to meet their extra costs.

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

Can the Minister confirm that this Government are investing more in mental health than ever before?

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, I can give that assurance. As I made quite clear in my earlier remarks, we have seen a growth in the support for people with disabilities and for those with mental health problems. As I said, we spend something in the region of £50 billion a year supporting people with disabilities and health conditions, and we are investing more in mental health than ever before.