The growing number of our young people reporting mental health problems is a major challenge for our society and economy. With nearly 1 in 4 now saying they struggle with their mental health, the government needs to think deeply about what’s going on. A growing number of people who should be in the prime of their lives stop working, and many unfortunately end up on long-term benefits. It’s a disgrace to those individuals, but it’s also terrible for our economy and for our public finances.
Unfortunately, I have seen no sign from this new Labor government that it understands this challenge and the need for urgent and fundamental action. Until recently, as Minister of Labor and Pensions in the Conservative government, I had thought long and hard about these issues. I spoke out and I set us on a path to address some of the crooked aspects of a welfare system where the welfare bill was floundering and millions of people were needlessly signing off to live on benefits.
Of course mental health issues have been a challenge for many years and there will always be some in our society who have very serious and debilitating problems. But there is some evidence that we are increasingly overmedicating and labeling people when the struggles they face, while very real and genuine, may be part of the normal ups and downs of everyday life. There is a natural need for a diagnosis, whether it’s anxiety, depression, or even the growing number of people (including a large number of children) being diagnosed with ADHD. And the benefits system is picking up on this, with increasing numbers going to both disability benefits and unemployment benefits for mental health issues.
I think most reasonable people would agree with that view, or at least would think it worth considering. But my Labor colleagues decided to howl about it, accusing me of using “divisive, derogatory rhetoric”. They try to pretend that “fixing the NHS” is the answer to all these problems. And from what I have seen so far, they are not going to address the issues in our welfare system that are in many ways adding to these problems.
Take, for example, the work capacity assessment. Current rules mean that someone who does not meet the assessment criteria to be unfit for work can still get a passport if they are deemed to be ‘at risk’ if they require contact with a work coach, almost always for mental health reasons. When these rules were introduced, it was expected that they would only apply to a tiny fraction of people in a very serious mental health crisis, but now fully 14 per cent of claims go through under these rules. My reforms would have ended this and reduced the number of long-term sick pay by 400,000 according to the independent OBR, but the new government has been completely silent on whether it will keep it or end it. They simply don’t want to talk about it.
Or take the main disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The rise in claims, with a particular rise in mental health, has seen spending on this benefit increase by £10bn over five years, with a further £10bn expected to increase by the end of the decade. That’s more than the entire police budget for England and Wales. PIP is intended to cover the extra costs someone incurs as a result of a disability or health condition, but in many cases today people are being paid thousands of pounds a year for mental health problems where it is not clear what these extra costs really are. I would much rather spend money on therapy and targeted support. Again, Labor has said nothing about the reforms we consulted on, and every indication is that they will quietly drop them entirely.
If Labor wants to keep the promises they have made, they must stop burying their heads in the sand about mental health. We should recognize that work is often part of the answer, not waste the potential and talents of our young people. Our society and our economy cannot afford it.
Mel Stride is the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
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