Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mental health waiting lists on levels of people out of work.

It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that. Our mission is to improve mental health care across the spectrum. We are focusing on ensuring the National Health Service is providing the right support to the right people, at the right time.

We are working to address the impacts of mental ill health on economic inactivity and are committed to supporting people into work, recognising that good work is good for mental health. Despite the challenging fiscal environment, we have chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues, and providing support for people to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.

As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, we will recruit 8,500 more mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.