21 April 2021

House of Commons briefing paper on suicide prevention mentions benefits-related deaths.

What: The House of Commons Library publishes a briefing paper on suicide prevention, which includes a chapter on social security. The chapter provides a summary of key events in relation to benefit-related deaths, including a discussion of WCAs and “substantial risk”.

Why significant: Shows some recognition that government welfare policy negatively impacts claimants’ mental health and suicidality, and is thus an important issue for suicide prevention.