Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the effect on the economy of employment absences and absenteeism as a result of (a) stress, (b) anxiety and (c) depression in each of the last 10 years.

Analysis in the independent review, “Thriving at Work, The Stevenson/Farmer Review of Mental Health and Employers”, published in October 2017, indicates a cost to the economy of mental health related employment absences and absenteeism of £49.1 to £64.5 billion per annum. This includes £37.0 to £52.4 billion costs of lost output due to worklessness, £8.8 billion costs of absenteeism of employees and the self-employed, and £3.3 billion NHS costs. Costs are not available by condition or by year.