Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research on the potential implications for his Department's policy and resources of the comparative effect on (a) mental and (b) physical health of (i) death of a close relative, (ii) divorce and (iii) moving out of a long-term family home.

Death of a close relative, divorce, and moving out of a long-term family home are all life events that can have significant impact on health and wellbeing. The Department has no plans to commission research specifically on the potential implications for the Department’s policies and resources of the comparative effect of these life events on mental and physical health.

The Department’s Policy Research Programme (PRP) commissions high quality, research-based evidence relevant to the full policy remit of the Department. Details of commissioned projects are available on the website of the PRP Central Commissioning Facility at:

http://www.prp-ccf.org.uk/