Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Lloyd of Effra on 2 January (HL13041), when they will publish the enactment impact assessment for the Employment Rights Act 2025; and whether that assessment will include breakdowns by sector of the impact on (1) small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, and (2) micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On Wednesday 7 January, the Government published the Enactment Summary Impact Assessment for the Employment Rights Act 2025. This forms part of a comprehensive package of 29 Impact Assessments analysing the impact of the Act: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. As per our Better Regulation requirements, each Impact Assessment includes a small and micro business assessment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have issued any formal guidance for (1) public communications, (2) educational settings, and (3) healthcare pathways, that distinguishes emotional distress from diagnosable mental health conditions.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has not issued formal guidance as such. The Every Mind Matters campaign is the National Health Service’s national platform for mental health and wellbeing, and it offers advice and information to help people look after their mental health, including managing stress, low mood, and improving sleep. The aim is to guide the public to understand how they can manage their own mental health, and when they may need to seek support.

In educational settings, Mental Health Support Teams work in schools and colleges to offer early intervention for mild-to-moderate issues. They also support the whole school community to build a culture of mental wellbeing through training for staff, educating parents, and developing a whole-school mental health approach. This approach focuses on prevention and improving overall emotional wellbeing, as well as building awareness of when a child or young person may need to access to specialist services.

There is a range of guidance available to healthcare pathways on mental health, such as the NHS Talking Therapies guidance on the pathway for people with long term conditions and medically unexplained symptoms. Primary care services can act as the first point of contact for people with a mental health need, supporting with identifying and managing diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Primary care also plays a role in coordinating care and helping service users to navigate mental health support in their local area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of GP appointments relating to mental health concerns result in a formal diagnosis, clinical treatment or a referral; and how that proportion has changed over the past five years.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such assessment has been made regarding the proportion of general practice appointments relating to mental health concerns resulting in a formal diagnosis, clinical treatment, or a referral.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the decision by the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, whether their updated guidance will include changes to the gender recognition certificate policy framework.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The For Women Scotland Ltd vs The Scottish Ministers judgment ruled that for the purposes of the Equality Act, “woman” is a biological woman. The ruling makes clear that a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s sex for the purposes of the Equality Act.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. The Code concerns how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, associations and those exercising public functions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of increase in demand for special educational needs and disabilities places in the past 10 years.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A greater proportion of our school children are educated in special schools than at any time in the past fifty years.

For the first time in 2023, the school capacity survey asked local authorities to provide data on the capacity of special schools and the capacity of special education needs (SEN) units and resourced provision in mainstream schools, as well as their forecast future demand for specialist provision. This is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-capacity-in-england-academic-year-2023-to-2024.

Since 2015/16, the number of children in all types of special schools has increased from 115,000 to 200,000 in 2024/25. The number of specialist placements overall is expected to continue to increase based on current trends.

The department also collects numbers of pupils on roll with SEN through the school census with data from 2025/26 onwards. Data is published by type of provision and can be accessed here at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of young people who receive health-related benefits for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism enter sustained employment within (1) two years, (2) five years, and (3) 10 years, of their initial claim.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13748), how much the Every Mind Matters campaign has cost since January 2025 to date.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has been no campaign spend for Every Mind Matters over the period requested. However, a campaign launched over the new year and is running until the end of March 2026 to encourage people to take new NHS Healthy Choices Quiz which asks questions about six health topics, including mental health and sleep. People whose answers to the quiz indicate mental health difficulties will be signposted to appropriate help, including Every Mind Matters, NHS Talking Therapies, or other National Health Service mental health services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the long-term outcomes for individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions, including potential harms from diagnostic labelling and unnecessary treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. That is why we have launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, which will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism.

The review will look at prevalence, early intervention, and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services. The review will also examine the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals. This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation. It will also seek to identify opportunities to provide different models of support and pathways, within and beyond the National Health Service, that promote prevention and early intervention, supplementing clinical support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the influence of (1) social media, and (2) greater public awareness, on self-diagnosis and subsequent formal diagnosis of mental health conditions; and what guidance they have provided to clinicians about those influences.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a commentary on the findings of a systematic review on screen-based activities and children’s mental health. They found an association between screen-based activities and mental health but could not establish causality. The commentary is avaiable in the document attached.

On 20 January 2026, the Government announced a forthcoming consultation on how to ensure children have a healthy relationship with devices, introduce rapid trials on measures to reduce screentime and limit access at night, and produce evidence-informed screentime guidance for parents of children aged five to 16 years old. This three-month consultation will be evidence-led, with input from independent experts, and will include determining the right minimum age for children to access social media. It will report in the summer.

Over the past decade, greater public awareness and reduced stigma around mental health have coincided with a rise in common mental health conditions and increased demand for National Health Service support, highlighting the need to better understand and address people’s needs.

The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism will therefore examine a range of potential drivers of mental health conditions, the impact of clinical practice, including the role of diagnosis, opportunities for prevention and early intervention, and models of support within and beyond the NHS.

The review’s Terms of Reference are published on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what research or analysis is being carried out to understand the factors contributing to the increasing demand for mental health services, including factors other than overdiagnosis and diagnostic practices.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research into mental health via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Through the NIHR, the Department is investigating a wide range of factors that contribute to the increase in mental health prevalence across England, including social, environmental, demographic, and biological factors. The Department also funds several population surveys that measure the national prevalence of mental health disorders.

The Department recently launched an independent review led by Professor Peter Fonagy into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. This review will examine the evidence on rising demand for mental health, autism, and ADHD services so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place. The review will produce a short report setting out conclusions and recommendations for responding to the rising need, both within the Government and across the health system and wider public services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of NHS funding is allocated to mental health care.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2025/26, total forecast mental health spend is £15.6 billion, which works out at 8.71% of the recurrent National Health Service baseline of £179.4 billion. This was set out in a Written Ministerial Statement by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 27 March 2025.

As the Medium-Term Planning Framework makes clear, we need a new approach for mental health to drive down waits, improve the quality of care, and increase the productivity of mental health services.

Funding is a key part of this. We have set out that over the next three years, integrated care boards will be required to meet the mental health investment standard by protecting mental health spending in real terms. In other words, rising in line with inflation from 2026/27.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards are in place to prevent the risk of overdiagnosing mental health conditions in children and young people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises rising demand for children and young people’s mental health services.

Through the Plan for Change and our 10-Year Health Plan, we are transforming the mental health system to strengthen clinical pathways and improve access to early support, while reducing the longest waits for specialist care and tackling regional disparities.

The independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism is examining the drivers of rising prevalence and demand, to ensure people receive the right support, at the right time, and in the right place.

More widely, we are accelerating the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, with national coverage expected by 2029. By this spring, approximately 60% of pupils will have access to early mental health support, up from 44% in spring 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government by how much demand for mental health, ADHD and autism services is increasing or decreasing in each of the past five years for people aged (1) under 16, (2) 16-24, (3) 25-34, (4) 35-49, (5) 50-64, and (6) over 65.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the number of people in contact with National Health Service funded secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services, in each financial year between 2020/21 and 2024/25:

Source: Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS)

Notes:

1. In contact means either being seen by NHS Talking Therapies services or having an open referral to NHS Talking Therapies services.
2. The MHSDS covers all NHS funded activity related to patients of any age who receive secondary care for a suspected or diagnosed mental health, learning disability, autism, or other neurodevelopmental condition.
3. In contact means either being seen by mental health services or having an open referral to mental health services, which includes referrals still waiting for a first contact at the end of the year.
4. Date of birth is not a mandatory data item in the MHSDS, therefore, there will be some unknown values.

The following table shows the number of people known to be in contact with NHS Talking Therapies in each financial year between 2020/21 and 2024/25:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of working days lost due poor mental health in each of the last five years.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the number of working days lost due to mental health conditions in the last five years:

Source: Office for National Statistics.

The working day is defined as seven hours and 30 minutes.

These estimates were produced using the Labour Force Survey, which is a household survey representative of the United Kingdom labour market, and it is used to produce estimates of employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity in the UK along with many other labour market statistics. Caution should be taken when analysing total days lost for 2020 and 2021, because of the impact of furlough and other policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) public understanding of clinical mental health terminology, and (2) whether misunderstandings in language contribute to increased demand for clinical services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no assessment of public understanding of clinical mental health terminology, nor whether misunderstandings in language contribute to increased demand for clinical services.

The independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism will look to understand and provide clarity on the similarities and differences between mental health conditions. It will examine the quality of evidence on what is driving demand, to determine which trends reflect real increase in disorder, which reflect changes in awareness or access, and which are artefacts of measurement or definition. The review will produce a short report setting out conclusions and recommendations for responding to rising need, both within government and across the health system and wider public services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the remit of the independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism will include research into the impact of the language used to discuss mental health conditions on patients, clinicians and the NHS.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As an independent review, it is for the Chairs to determine the scope of their work, the issues they examine, and the outputs and recommendations they choose to make.

This review will be critical in identifying new models of support and pathways, within and beyond the National Health Service, that prioritise prevention and early intervention. It will also provide evidence‑based recommendations to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and ensure timely support.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increases to employer National Insurance contributions on the ability of businesses to create entry level jobs for young people currently not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs, which is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl. The TIIN set out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) in November 2025, which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. The OBR expects that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31.

The government is committed to supporting young people to earn and learn; that is why we are making more than £1.5 billion available over the Spending Review period for investment in employment and skills support. This includes £820 million for the Youth Guarantee, which features a new Jobs Guarantee that will provide six-month paid work placements for eligible 18- to 21-year-olds, and £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy, to help support apprenticeships for young people and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible people under-25. This support will provide an opportunity for young people to gain the essential skills and experience they need and prevent the damaging effects of long-term unemployment.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 20 November 2025 (HL12179), what are the "significant safeguards" that prevent a sex offender from obtaining a gender recognition certificate.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Each application for a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) is independently evaluated by the Gender Recognition Panel, underpinned by a range of required evidence. Certificates are only granted to those who meet the criteria, and not everyone who applies is granted one and circumstances are taken into account.

In order to be granted a GRC, an applicant must meet a high threshold of requirements:

• Be over 18
• Provide minimum of 2 years’ worth of evidence that they are living in their acquired gender
• Provide a medical report confirming a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a UK doctor
• Provide a medical report countersigning the diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a psychiatrist or another doctor
• Provide a signed statutory declaration that the applicant intends to remain in their acquired gender until death.

There are safeguards in place to ensure that the relevant authorities can manage the risk posed by sex offenders. These include a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of any changes to their personal information such as change of name. Furthermore, as previously stated, the police can require registered sex offenders to notify them of an intended change of name at least seven days in advance of using it. If a person with any criminal record were to obtain a GRC, this would not remove or invalidate past sentences served in their previous gender.

We continue to monitor these arrangements to ensure they safeguard the public.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government under what circumstances a convicted criminal offender could obtain a gender recognition certificate while serving a sentence of imprisonment.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Each application for a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) is independently evaluated by the Gender Recognition Panel, underpinned by a range of required evidence. Certificates are only granted to those who meet the criteria, and not everyone who applies is granted one and circumstances are taken into account.

In order to be granted a GRC, an applicant must meet a high threshold of requirements:

• Be over 18
• Provide minimum of 2 years’ worth of evidence that they are living in their acquired gender
• Provide a medical report confirming a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a UK doctor
• Provide a medical report countersigning the diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a psychiatrist or another doctor
• Provide a signed statutory declaration that the applicant intends to remain in their acquired gender until death.

There are safeguards in place to ensure that the relevant authorities can manage the risk posed by sex offenders. These include a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of any changes to their personal information such as change of name. Furthermore, as previously stated, the police can require registered sex offenders to notify them of an intended change of name at least seven days in advance of using it. If a person with any criminal record were to obtain a GRC, this would not remove or invalidate past sentences served in their previous gender.

We continue to monitor these arrangements to ensure they safeguard the public.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government under what circumstances a convicted sex offender could obtain a gender recognition certificate after their convictions are spent.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Each application for a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) is independently evaluated by the Gender Recognition Panel, underpinned by a range of required evidence. Certificates are only granted to those who meet the criteria, and not everyone who applies is granted one and circumstances are taken into account.

In order to be granted a GRC, an applicant must meet a high threshold of requirements:

• Be over 18
• Provide minimum of 2 years’ worth of evidence that they are living in their acquired gender
• Provide a medical report confirming a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a UK doctor
• Provide a medical report countersigning the diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a psychiatrist or another doctor
• Provide a signed statutory declaration that the applicant intends to remain in their acquired gender until death.

There are safeguards in place to ensure that the relevant authorities can manage the risk posed by sex offenders. These include a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of any changes to their personal information such as change of name. Furthermore, as previously stated, the police can require registered sex offenders to notify them of an intended change of name at least seven days in advance of using it. If a person with any criminal record were to obtain a GRC, this would not remove or invalidate past sentences served in their previous gender.

We continue to monitor these arrangements to ensure they safeguard the public.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to understand the factors contributing to the doubling in the number of children with education, health and care plans for social, emotional and mental health needs since 2016.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Every child deserves an education that meets their needs, is academically stretching, where they feel like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are determined to fix the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and restore the trust of parents. We will do this by ensuring schools have the tools to better identify and support children before issues escalate.

The department has improved data by disaggregating the SEN2 data collection from 2023. This change enabled more detailed, pupil level analysis of education health and care (EHC) plans and the processes associated with it, providing deeper insights into specific patterns and trends to support decision-making. The annual EHC plan statistics report provides information on the numbers of children and young people with an EHC plan

International evidence indicates that the number of children and young people with SEN is also increasing in comparable countries. Although definitions and systems vary considerably between countries, the key drivers include improved understanding and diagnosis of need, as well as social and medical factors.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they hold that shows that increased investment in mental health services in schools reduces the level of mental health conditions in children and young people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Mental health support teams (MHSTs) work with young people and parents to support the mental health needs of children and young people in primary, secondary, and further education to provide early, evidence-based interventions that follow recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Research conducted by NHS South Central and West, commissioned by NHS England, found qualitative evidence from seven MHST sites that MHSTs are successful in reaching children and young people who would not have otherwise accessed mental health services and that they complement wider mental health services by delivering low-level interventions for those waiting to be seen by specialist services. MHSTs were also reported to allow earlier identification and management of mental health issues, to normalise and destigmatise mental health in schools, and the improve knowledge and quality of referrals to other local services.

Research from 2025 by Bebbington et al. into 459 children and young people found that low-intensity cognitive behavioural interventions delivered in one MHST service were effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. In an evaluation of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Trailblazer programme, education settings reported positive early outcomes, including increased staff confidence and access to advice about mental health issues for children with mild-to moderate mental health problems.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total regulatory cost to businesses resulting from the Employment Rights Act 2025, broken down by business size and measured in compliance hours per year.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has published 29 Impact Assessments representing a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. Each Impact Assessment considers how impacts may vary depending on business size and includes an estimation of the potential compliance costs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels due to the applicant being a convicted sex offender.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held.

This is because applicants are not required to provide details of any criminal convictions as part of the Gender Recognition Certificate application process.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels due to concerns around safety and risk.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held.

This is because applicants are not required to provide details of any criminal convictions as part of the Gender Recognition Certificate application process.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of Gender Recognition Certificate applications are rejected by Gender Recognition Panels.

Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Between April - September 2025, the latest period for which statistics are published, 709 Gender Recognition Certificates applications were approved, with 42 (6%) refused.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to recording sexual offences committed by individuals who have Gender Recognition Certificates.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

In England and Wales crime recording is governed by the Home Office Counting rules which are victim-based with offences recorded according to the crime in law that has been committed, such as rape, irrespective of who committed an offence.

In regard to the management of offenders the Government considers that safeguarding is best served through strengthened management of registered sex offenders, regardless of whether or not they have acquired a Gender Recognition Certificate, including enhanced notification requirements, restrictions on changes to identity documents, and close police oversight of high‑risk individuals. These include a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify the police of any changes to their personal information such as change of name. His Majesty’s Passport Office monitors high-risk offenders to ensure they cannot obtain a new passport without police consultation. Failure to comply with requirements in this area is a criminal offence. These measures, provided for in the Crime and Policing Bill and existing legislation, ensure that the authorities have the information necessary to assess and manage risk, and we will continue to monitor these arrangements to ensure they safeguard the public.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13748), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Every Mind Matters campaign to date; and what plans they have to make an assessment on completion of that campaign.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Historic Every Mind Matters (EMM) campaigns have been evaluated according to the process specified by the Government Communications Service’s Evaluation Cycle for all Government paid-for campaigns, following end of each campaign period, the last of which was in 2023.

Data in relation to the EMM campaign was referred to in evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee on 21 February 2023. Text from page 11 of the transcript is as follows:

“The Every Mind Matters campaign includes a health and wellbeing plan – the Mind Plan - that can be personalised, downloaded and followed to enable people to take active steps to look after their wellbeing, and 4.6 million people have done that since October 2019. Every Mind Matters also offers a follow up email programme and two out of three of its users report that it has led to improvements in their health and wellbeing.”

To the current date, 5.4 million Mind Plans have been completed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 January (HL14010), how much has been spent on the Every Mind Matters campaign to date; and what is the (1) projected, and (2) budgeted spend, over the period of that campaign's operations.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As a point of clarification, the Every Mind Matters (EMM) website remains live on the National Health Service digital domain for anyone to access free of charge. Between 2019 and 2023, the EMM website and its digital tools were promoted via intermittent paid for marketing campaigns to encourage the use of the site to enable the public to take simple self-care actions to improve their mental health.

A total of £21.93 million was spent on these campaigns. Since 2024 no funding has been available to promote the site to the public. However, as noted in the response to HL14010, a campaign launched over the new year and is running until the end of March 2026 to encourage people to do the new NHS Healthy Choices Quiz which asks questions about six health topics, including mental health and sleep. People whose answers to the Quiz indicate mental health difficulties will be signposted to appropriate help, including Every Mind Matters, NHS Talking Therapies, or other NHS mental health services.

Any future budget for the Every Mind Matters campaigns is yet to be agreed by the Cabinet Office, which determines the health issues which will be supported by paid marketing campaigns and how much should be spent on them.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 January (HL14010), what assessment they have made of the impact of the NHS Healthy Choices Quiz on improving the mental health of its users.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Healthy Choices Quiz was designed and built at every stage with user research and engagement with policy experts to ensure it is both accurate and effective in supporting people to make healthy changes in six areas: movement; eating; sleep; mental health; smoking; and alcohol consumption. As part of our campaign evaluation, the Quiz will be assessed to explore how many of those who completed the Quiz took action to improve their health, including their mental health.

At the end of the Quiz, people are sign-posted to appropriate help including Better Health - Every Mind Matters, NHS Talking Therapies, or directed to their general practice or 111. The Better Health - Every Mind Matters digital resources offer a range of simple, National Health Service-approved, self-care tips and tools that everyone can use and incorporate into daily routines to help manage common early-stage mental health concerns.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13746), what plans they have to ensure that the review of the demand for mental health services has a comprehensive evidence base.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The review will be chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy, and supported by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird as vice‑chairs. A multidisciplinary Advisory Working Group will directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence comprehensively.

The review will seek to understand the factors behind trends in prevalence, the impact of clinical practice, including social and cultural factors and the risks and benefits of medicalisation, and ways to promote the prevention of mental ill health, create resilience, and improve early intervention. The review will examine evidence on prevalence, trends, and inequalities associated with mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what oversight exists for diagnostic standards in private mental health services, in particular online assessment platforms.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Clinicians delivering diagnoses are professionally regulated by bodies such as the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council, whose standards apply equally to private practice.

For online assessment platforms specifically, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) operates an early value assessment (EVA) process that conditionally recognises some digital healthcare technologies while further evidence is generated. These evaluations draw on a combination of research evidence and expert review of relevance and potential impact. NICE EVAs have been published for several tools that provide mental health pre-assessment information gathering or deliver digitally enabled therapies. These can be found on the NICE website. NICE EVAs are specifically intended to support early adoption within National Health Service commissioned services, but private providers may choose to use the EVA findings as a benchmark for decisions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 30 January (HL14009), what assessment they have made of whether increased spending allocation to tacking mental health care results in a reduction in prevalence of mental health conditions.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that the nation’s mental health has deteriorated over the last decade. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24 shows that the proportion of 16 to 64 year olds with a common mental health condition increased from 17.6% in 2007 and 18.9% in 2014, to 22.6% in 2023/24.

Total mental health spending for 2025/26 is expected to amount to £15.6 billion, which is a significant increase of £688 million compared to the previous financial year. However, demand has outstripped supply as a result of rising prevalence. That is why we have launched the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. The review will look at prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services.

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve National Health Service mental health services. This includes NHS Talking Therapies services, which provide evidence-based interventions recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. More than 670,000 people completed a course of treatment last year. We are expanding Talking Therapies services so that 915,000 people can complete a course of treatment by March 2029.

NHS Talking Therapies have a recovery target that at least 50% of people who complete treatment should move to recovery, which is generally met or close to being met. Information released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that completion of Talking Therapy treatment has a positive impact on pay and employment status. Further details are available on the ONS website.