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 implications for his policies of Centre for Mental Health's analysis entitled, Covid-19 and the nation's mental health: October 2020, published on 1 October 2020; and what steps he is taking to provide support for those with poor mental health as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

The National Health Service has supported people with their mental health throughout the pandemic and continues to do so. On 23 November, we published our Wellbeing and Mental Health Support plan for COVID-19, which sets out the support available for people in the context of a second wave and the winter months. In addition, we have announced that the NHS will receive around an additional £500 million next year to address waiting times for mental health services, give more people the mental health support they need, and invest in the NHS workforce.