Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the level of real term funding for mental health services in England.

We are taking steps to increase the level of real term funding for mental health services in England. We have increased spending on mental health to a record £11.6 billion in 2016/17 and this is planned to rise to £11.86 billion for in 2017/18.

The Mental Health Investment Standard requires all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to increase funding for mental health by at least as much as the overall increase to their funding allocations. 85% of CCGs achieved the Investment Standard in 2016/17 and from 2018/19 all CCGs will be required to meet it.