Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of rising house prices on the mental health of those seeking to purchase a home.

I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on matters of mutual departmental interest.

I appreciate that a new home is not just the largest monetary purchase most people ever make; it is also one of the largest emotional commitments as people look to provide a safe, good quality home for themselves and their families.

I acknowledge that a lack of housing supply is having a real effect on people’s ability to buy a home and that is why the Government is committed to delivering more of the right homes in the right places. 481,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since spring 2010 through Government backed schemes including Help to Buy and Right to Buy. Annual housing supply in England amounted to 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17, up 15 per cent on 2015-16 and the highest level since 2007-08.

This Government is committed to transforming Mental Health support. The Prime Minister recently announced a campaign to train a million people in mental health awareness – Every Mind Matters – launched on 9 October with a pilot in the West Midlands ahead of a national rollout next Spring.