Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to support people under the age of 30 experiencing heightened mental health issues during the covid-19 outbreak.

We have put in place resources to help people look after their mental health and wellbeing, including Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters resources and personalised Mind Plan – a targeted action plan with National Health Service-endorsed advice and tips to improve mood and wellbeing.

In March we launched a Mental Health Recovery Action Plan, to ensure that we have the right support in place over the next year. This will allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services, 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services and a faster increase in the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges over the 2021/22 financial year. It will also ensure young adults aged 18 to 25 years old, including university students, are supported with tailored mental health support, helping bridge the gap between children’s and adult services.