Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following research by the University of Manchester showing that local authorities with higher unemployment rates have more deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide, how they intend to tackle the socioeconomic factors that underpin deaths of despair, particularly in northern and coastal regions of England.

Good physical and mental health are underpinned by many socioeconomic factors beyond the health service. That is why we are working across the Government to improve air quality, ensure decent homes, and support disabled people and those with health conditions to work. The Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper sets out the Government’s ambition to improve living standards and wellbeing across the United Kingdom, invest in communities, and improve public services. It sets mutually reinforcing levelling up missions to focus the Government’s action, including a health mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase Healthy Life Expectancy by five years by 2035. The Government also provides a range of support, specifically to benefit claimants with a drug or alcohol dependency, to overcome their addiction and move into work.