Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in mental health waiting lists on the number of people out of work.

The Department has not assessed the impact of trends in mental health waiting lists on the number of people out of work.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to link NHS waiting times data to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England.

This may shed light on the potential impact of trends in waiting lists for various healthcare services, including mental health waiting lists, on the number of people out of work.