Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of children in England who have mental health issues.

The most recent published survey of the prevalence of the mental health of children and young people was carried out in 2004. The survey was carried out by the Office for National Statistics and can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-great-britain/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-great-britain-2004

A subsequent follow up study of some of the children and young people from that survey was published in 2007 and can be found at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/statisticsonchildhoodandadolescentmentalhealth

In 2016 the Department commissioned NHS Digital to undertake a new Children and Young People’s Mental Health Survey. This is expected to be published in autumn 2018.