Context
The question arises from concerns about the rising suicide rate among university students, with constituents in Broxtowe advocating for a duty of care to be established by universities towards student mental health.
Question
What steps she plans to take with the higher education sector to reduce the suicide rate for students. Suicide is currently the biggest killer of people under 35 in the UK. Will the Minister ensure that we are prioritising mental health support and lay out what the Department is doing to work with universities so that such help is provided? We must prioritise mental health, and we must do so now.
Answer from Robert Halfon
Preventing tragic deaths by suicide is a priority for the Government. Our approach to improving mental health outcomes and reducing suicides is focused on three pillars: funding and resourcing vital services; spreading and implementing best practice and clear responsibilities for higher education providers; and protection for students. My hon. Friend is a huge champion of mental health in his constituency. Based on my previous answer, we are giving the Office for Students £15 million to help universities with mental health support. We have asked universities to sign up to the mental health charter by September 2024. We have a new student implementation taskforce to spread best practice, which is reporting on its first stage by the end of the year. We are also commissioning a national independent review of student suicides.
Not addressed: The specific ask about prioritizing mental health support was not directly addressed with concrete commitments or timelines.
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