Contribution
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Wishart. I thank the hon. Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist) for securing this debate and for the courage and dignity with which she, and indeed all hon. Members, have spoken.
We know that record numbers of young people in England are asking for help, and too many of them are waiting months, if not years, to receive it. In March, nearly a million under-18s had an active referral. We need to do better. Like so many hon. Members, I pay tribute to the families who have turned their grief into action. My hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Dr Hudson) mentioned 3 Dads Walking and the £1.5 million they raised after losing their daughters. I also think of organisations such as Samaritans and YoungMinds, and many other national and local charities. I pay tribute to bereaved families in my constituency, some of whom I have worked closely with.
That brings me to Papyrus. Last month, it entered into administration, its HopeLine 24/7 went silent and 120 jobs were lost. A young person in crisis tonight cannot call the line that was built for them. The administrators cited rising demand, higher costs and falling reliable funding, and the Samaritans and Shout have warned of further pressure on charities working in an “extremely challenging financial environment”. The suicide prevention grant fund, which was launched under the previous Government, gave £10 million to 79 organisations between 2023 and 2025. Papyrus was shortlisted for £625,000 from that, and in the previous round it received over £150,000 for HopeLine 24/7.
The Government chose not to renew that fund, and said they had no plans for another—I know of no replacement of comparable scale. I suspect that the Minister may point to money for suicide prevention pathfinders in the men’s health strategy, but that is much less than the fund provided, and it is not a helpline. Then there are the costs: since April 2025, charities have faced additional burdens, including increases through employer national insurance contributions. The Government cannot withdraw funds and raise costs, and then express surprise when charities struggle. Colleagues from across the House have previously asked whether the Government would consider if their own evaluation of the fund found that it had worked. I ask the Minister: did that evaluation take place, and what was its outcome?
The previous Conservative Government had a record to be proud of: the first Suicide Prevention Minister, the first cross-Government plan in 2019, the five-year strategy, the national suicide surveillance system in 2023 and the Online Safety Act 2023, which requires companies to remove illegal content that encourages suicide and made encouraging self-harm a criminal offence. On 8 September, Ministers reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to a strategy. The call for evidence on the wider mental health strategy closed in July, but we are waiting for an outcome from the Government.
Given the time, I will close closer to home. Following the death of a man in Farnham in 2022, my constituent, Mr Clarke Senior, who served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, the Gulf and Kosovo and lives with disabilities sustained in the line of duty, got involved with the veterans’ charity Legend on the Bench. In December, I will be attending the unveiling of three suicide prevention benches across Farnham, sponsored by the University for the Creative Arts and the Waverley borough and Farnham town councils, with more to follow in Bordon and Haslemere.
I say to the Minister that the good will of a community and a bench cannot replace a trained and manned help line, so I have four questions for her. First, will the Government restore a dedicated, 24-hour youth suicide helpline? Secondly, will they review their decision to close the suicide prevention grant fund, publish their evaluation and move from 12-month to multi-year funding? Thirdly, what assessment has been made of the impact of higher national insurance contributions on the sustainability of youth suicide prevention charities? Fourthly, what progress have the Government made on the suicide prevention strategy, will they renew it when it expires in 2028, and will the Minister give firm dates for the mental health strategy?
I know that many people watching this debate will be affected by this, and if anyone needs more help, the Samaritans are still available on 116 123. A young person in crisis tonight needs a line to call, and that is what Papyrus gave them. We on this side of the House will continue to support any efforts to improve support and to challenge policies where they fall short.