Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for Transport to help prevent suicides on the railways.

The fourth progress report of the cross-Government suicide prevention strategy recognises the importance of reducing access to the means to attempt suicide, including on railways.

Our cross-Government suicide prevention workplan, published by the Department of Health and Social Care in 2019, includes actions led by the Department for Transport to reduce suicides on our railways, such as the Small Talk Saves Lives campaign launched with Samaritans, and work with British Transport Police that brings together local health and social care partners to address identified problem sites.

The Department for Transport continues to meet with the transport industry and stakeholders to discuss best practice in suicide prevention on England’s transport networks.