During a debate in the House of Commons, Charles Walker calls for more Government support for mental health charities.

Mr. Charles Walker (Broxbourne) (Con): The Minister is being very generous in giving away again, but does she agree that mental health is one of the greatest areas of inequality? The high-profile areas such as heart disease and cancer get a lot of coverage and support, but mental health is almost forgotten and seems to lag behind. What message will she give me to take back to my charities in Waltham Cross and Cheshunt concerning the support that the Government will give to help them deliver services that are critically important?

Caroline Flint: The hon. Gentleman makes the very valid point that people who suffer from mental health problems often have other health problems that need to be attended to. They deserve to be focused on as much as anyone else in the health agenda, in terms both of prevention and of the provision of better services to meet their needs. However, we must ensure that other service providers-of housing, employment, education and so on-look hard at the different challenges that different groups face. As was mentioned in the debate the other week, people with mental health problems should certainly be able to feel that they have a right to be heard by those who provide other services.

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