Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have issued any formal guidance for (1) public communications, (2) educational settings, and (3) healthcare pathways, that distinguishes emotional distress from diagnosable mental health conditions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has not issued formal guidance as such. The Every Mind Matters campaign is the National Health Service’s national platform for mental health and wellbeing, and it offers advice and information to help people look after their mental health, including managing stress, low mood, and improving sleep. The aim is to guide the public to understand how they can manage their own mental health, and when they may need to seek support.
In educational settings, Mental Health Support Teams work in schools and colleges to offer early intervention for mild-to-moderate issues. They also support the whole school community to build a culture of mental wellbeing through training for staff, educating parents, and developing a whole-school mental health approach. This approach focuses on prevention and improving overall emotional wellbeing, as well as building awareness of when a child or young person may need to access to specialist services.
There is a range of guidance available to healthcare pathways on mental health, such as the NHS Talking Therapies guidance on the pathway for people with long term conditions and medically unexplained symptoms. Primary care services can act as the first point of contact for people with a mental health need, supporting with identifying and managing diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Primary care also plays a role in coordinating care and helping service users to navigate mental health support in their local area.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of GP appointments relating to mental health concerns result in a formal diagnosis, clinical treatment or a referral; and how that proportion has changed over the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made regarding the proportion of general practice appointments relating to mental health concerns resulting in a formal diagnosis, clinical treatment, or a referral.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of businesses with fewer than 50 employees that will (1) reduce hiring, (2) reduce wages, or (3) cease trading, as a result of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has published 29 Impact Assessments representing a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Act: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. As per our Better Regulation requirements, each Impact Assessment includes a small and micro business assessment.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 30 December 2025 (HL12932), whether they plan to commission research into the number of young people not in education, employment or training because they are waiting for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism services or diagnosis; and what steps they will take to understand the scale of that issue.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has commissioned the Right Honourable Alan Milburn to author a report that will seek to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training. He will be supported by a panel of experts with diverse expertise and will be mobilising the existing Youth Guarantee Advisory Panel.
The research and analysis to inform the report will aim to improve our understanding of the number of young people not in education, employment or training, including identification of those with health needs.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism will include the demand for education, health and care plans and special educational needs and disabilities places.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, regarding prevalence, early intervention, and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.
This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation. The review will also seek to identify opportunities to provide different models of support and pathways, within and beyond the National Health Service, that promote prevention and early intervention, supplementing clinical support. The full terms of reference have been published on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between waiting times for mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism assessments and the length of time that young people claim health-related benefits.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the average annual welfare entitlement is for a single person aged 18–24 years old claiming Universal Credit on the basis of (1) anxiety, (2) depression, (2) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and (4) autism.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average annual welfare entitlement for a single person claiming Universal Credit on the basis of (1) anxiety, (2) depression, (3) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and (4) autism.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available, and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.