Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of contacts that UK NHS Ambulance Trusts have had with people who are (a) experiencing suicidal ideation and (b) committing suicide in each of the last five years.

This information is not held centrally. We know that suicide is complex and there are a range of factors outside of the mental health system that we will need to address if we are to achieve the Government’s aim.

We will need to continue working across Government and with a wide range of organisations outside of Government to do this. That is why we have a dedicated cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy.

We have commissioned research to explore why suicide rates amongst children and young people were increasing until recently. We expect the results to be published very shortly, and will use the findings to inform next steps.