Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s Get Britain Working White Paper published on 26 November 2024, whether the 140,000 places for Individual Placement and Support for severe mental illness are in addition to the those announced in the Autumn Statement 2023.

The Government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in the nation’s finances which has required tough choices around spending priorities. Despite this bleak financial backdrop, we were determined to identify the funding required to support local Individual Placement Support schemes.

The White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to expand the number of places on these schemes, to help thousands more people with severe mental illness find and stay in employment.