§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research the Government have conducted on the health impact on mental health service users of the implementation of his Department's benefits policies. [20231]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownA major goal of the Government are to help those people who are sick or disabled who can work to do so, while providing security for those who cannot work. This group includes people with mental health problems, whether they use mental health services or not. The Department for Work and Pensions consults with service users to ensure that relevant research informs new ideas and policy implementation.
The Office for National Statistics published a report on the Psychiatric Morbidity of Adults carried out on behalf of the Department of Health on 18 December. The main aim of the survey was to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among adults aged 16 to 74 living 504W in private households in Great Britain. The survey report also examines the use of services associated with mental disorder and considers the characteristics—including economic activity—of people with mental disorder.
A longitudinal follow up to that survey is planned for 2002 and aims to estimate the duration of mental health problems. The study will also involve some follow-up work on use of services.