Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Menzies Excerpts

Monday 26th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mark Menzies (Fylde) (Con)]

4. What progress he has made on supporting people with a mental health condition to find work.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

8. What progress he has made on supporting people with a mental health condition to find work.

[The Minister for Disabled People (Mr Mark Harper)]

The Government are committed to helping people with mental health problems into work. We are piloting a number of innovative approaches to employment support for those with mental health problems, and the Access to Work mental health support service can help people with a mental health condition who are absent from work or who are finding it difficult to get back into work.

[Mark Menzies]

Mental health issues in Fylde are as serious as they are anywhere else, so what plans does the Minister have to support further people with mental health conditions throughout the Disability Confident campaign?

[Mr Harper]

I am pleased that my hon. Friend mentions the Disability Confident campaign. I have invited Members from both sides of the House to talk about Disability Confident at an event in the House on Wednesday. Specifically on mental health, I had the privilege last Thursday to visit the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) and to meet with the work coaches in the jobcentre and with those who have been on some of our pilot programmes to hear about the success we have had in encouraging people with a mental health problem to get back into work, or to avoid having one in the first place.