Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS mental health support for university students.

Mental health is a priority for this Government. That is why the Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to work closely with the Department for Education to improve the mental health of university students.

To support this, the NHS Long Term Plan commits to a comprehensive expansion of mental health services, including a new approach to mental health services for people aged 18-25, supporting transitions to college and to adulthood, with services being adapted to create a comprehensive offer for 0 to 25 year olds.

NHS England is working closely with Universities UK through the Mental Health in Higher Education programme to build the capability and capacity of universities to improve student welfare services and improve access to mental health services for the student population, including focusing on suicide reduction, and improving access to psychological therapies to support and treat students suffering from stress and anxiety.