Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has (a) commissioned and (b) funded an assessment of the correlation between student mental health and (i) the number of contact hours they have and (ii) other aspects of the type of course they study; and if he will make a statement.

Mental health is a priority for this government, which is why the government is working closely with Universities UK on embedding the Step Change programme within the sector. Step Change calls on higher education leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority. Step Change also advocates a whole-institution approach to transform cultures and embed mental health initiatives beyond student services teams.

The University Mental Health Charter announced in June 2018 is backed by the government and led by the sector, and will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. The charter will reward institutions that deliver improved student mental health outcomes.

UK Research and Innovation launched eight new mental health networks in September, including the SMARTEN Network. This will work with researchers with a range of expertise and key stakeholders across the Higher Education sector to improve the understanding of student mental health.