Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase funding for mental health research.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). In 2020-21, the NIHR spent £109.5 million on mental health research. While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR’s funding is available through open competition for mental health and we encourage researchers to submit applications in this area. We are also funding the Mental Health Research Initiative to expand current activity and build the capacity and capability of mental health research in regions which are currently underrepresented.