Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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:
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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:
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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:
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
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.