Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made the suicide rate for (a) Preston (b) Lancashire and (c) England between April 2020 to July 2020 with the same period in each of the last 2 years.

We have not made such an assessment. We do not yet have robust data to say what effect, if any, the COVID-19 pandemic has had on suicide rates.

We are nevertheless taking action to support people’s mental health and prevent suicides and self-harm. All National Health Service mental health providers have established 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines, and we have announced £9.2 million of additional funding to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and CALM.

Every local authority has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place. The expectation is that agencies will work together to ensure plans address the impacts of COVID-19 on specific groups.

We are working with the NHS and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.