Order, order!

Mr Deputy Speaker,

Dan, a 46 years old male, from Yorkshire and the Humber is a professional artist who has autism. He was feeling very isolated and depressed before being referred to the Rotherham Social Prescribing Service by a mental health practitioner. He says, “I did not leave my home for six months previously due to my illness and now feel happy and welcome with people here and intend to invest in my artistic self again, which has been missing for many years due to my illness. My family are less worried about me as they know where I am going and I am really happy there. They have seen a real difference and improvement in my mood and it has helped me deal with things in daily life that I would have struggled with before. I am really grateful and cannot wait for next week.”

The above experience talks about Loneliness, but what is Loneliness? Loneliness can be defined as a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship. It happens when we have a mismatch between the quantity and quality of social relationships that we have, and those that we want.

Everyone feels lonely from time to time, and this is part of being human. But when people feel lonely most or all of the time, it can cause serious harm. Because of this, the Government is focusing its efforts on reducing the number of people who feel lonely frequently. Feeling lonely frequently is linked to early deaths. Its health impact is thought to be on a par with other public health issues like obesity or smoking. Research shows that loneliness is associated with a greater risk of inactivity, smoking and risk-taking behaviour, an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke? an increased risk of depression, low self-esteem, reported sleep problems and increased stress response and with cognitive decline and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, feeling lonely can make a person more likely to perceive, others people's behaviour to be unfriendly. This can increase social anxiety and cause them to withdraw further, creating a vicious cycle.

What causes loneliness? Loneliness fluctuates through life, with different causes and needs at different ages. It’s not just about a decline in contact with others or changes in relationships, but about a person’s identity and sense of belonging, and whether they feel their social network is ‘normal’ for their point in life.

The causes of loneliness will vary from person to person and we don’t always know exactly what can cause it. Experiences like unemployment can make us feel lonely, or how these different factors might interact and build up over time. But there are some common themes. Previous experiences and conditions are thought to be important, combined with ‘trigger’ events that can push a person into a feeling of loneliness. Some factors are likely to be specific to the individual – for example, a person’s personality or their mental fortitude at a particular time.

Her Majesty’s Government, currently led by Prime Minister Rt. Hon. WillShakespeare99 MP feels that Loneliness must be eliminated at all costs, and I believe we will receive cross-partisan support on the matter. A motion authored by the Right Honourable Member for Oxbridge and Berkshire numbered 457 and titled Motion to Address Loneliness was passed by this House.

In response to the same, I wish to present to the House, the recent statistics on loneliness from the Community Life Survey. Overall, 6% of people said they feel lonely often or always. This is the same as in 2017-18 but an increase from 5% in 2013-14. In 2018-19, 22% said they never feel lonely, similar to 2017-18 and 2013-14 (23%).

Looking by demographic group, men were more likely to say they never felt lonely than women (25% compared with 19%). This is in contrast to findings in sections 1.1 and 1.2 of the Community Life Survey, which showed women were more likely to have regular contact with family and friends across a range of communication methods, and more likely to agree that they have support networks. It is possible this could be indicative of differing attitudes towards loneliness between men and women, or differences in the likelihood of reporting loneliness. Alternatively, other factors not measured by the survey may impact the feeling of loneliness.

There were differences by age group in feelings of loneliness, with people aged 16 to 24 more likely to say they feel lonely often or always than those aged 35 and over (ranging from 9% of 16-24 year olds to 4% of 65-74 year olds). They were also the least likely age group to say they never felt lonely at 11%, for example in contrast, 31% of 65-74 year olds and 30% of those aged 75 and over said they never felt lonely.

People with a limiting long-term illnesses or disabilities were more likely to say they felt lonely often or always than those without (14% compared with 4%) and less likely to say they never felt lonely (13% compared with 23%). People living in urban areas were more likely to feel lonely often/always than those living in rural areas (6% compared with 4%) and those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to feel lonely often or always than those living in the least deprived areas (8% compared with 4%). So, with these facts and figures laid out to the House, I hereby present to the House an overview of the measures Her Majesty's Government shall take to tackle loneliness within England.

Society is changing rapidly. The ways we live, work and relate to each other are shifting as we move towards a digital age, as employment practices change and people participate in society in different ways. People are living longer, but not necessarily experiencing increased quality of life to match those increased years. Many jobs are becoming more solitary. We can work, shop, travel and interact with businesses and public services online rather than through talking to each other. Alongside these changes, we understand now more than ever before about the negative impacts of loneliness.

Loneliness is not new but we do increasingly recognise it as one of our most pressing public health issues. Loneliness and social connections are deeply personal. Government recognises that everyone feels lonely from time to time. But when people are always lonely they are likely to suffer significant and prolonged ill health and other negative consequences.

Three overarching goals guide government’s work on loneliness. The first is a commitment to play our part in improving the evidence base so we better understand what causes loneliness, its impacts and what works to tackle it.

This Government’s vision is for this country to be a place where we can all have strong social relationships. Where families, friends and communities support each other, especially at vulnerable points where people are at greater risk of loneliness. Where institutions value the human element in their interactions with people. And where loneliness is recognised and acted on without stigma or shame, so that we all look out for one another. Together, this requires society-wide change. This strategy is for everyone. It recognises that government can’t make that change alone, and sets out a powerful vision of how we can all play a role in building a more socially connected society.

There is no quick fix to achieving this vision and it is intended as government’s first, rather than final. There are three major objectives or goals we wish to achieve in the process of countering loneliness. The first is a commitment to play our part in improving the evidence base so we better understand what causes loneliness, its impacts and what works to tackle it.

The second goal is to embed loneliness as a consideration across government policy, recognising the wide range of factors that can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and support people’s social wellbeing and resilience. The strategy includes a number of cross- cutting policies to benefit all of society, alongside more tailored interventions that can support people when they are at greater risk due to specific trigger points in their life. It also looks at how government can ensure social relationships are considered across its wider policy-making.

The third goal is to build a national conversation on loneliness, to raise awareness of its impacts and to help tackle stigma. Just as we understand the importance of looking after our physical health and increasingly our mental health, so too must we look after our social connections, and understand that they are key to our wellbeing.

As a part of measures to achieve the vision of eliminating loneliness and spreading awareness on the importance of social connections for every person in life, Her Majesty’s Government shall take a variety of steps in England which shall be outlined below:

• The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are committed to improving and expanding social prescribing services. Social prescribing connects people to community groups and services through connector schemes where ‘link workers’ introduce people to support based on their individual needs. This will include an expansion of social prescribing services. By 2023, The Government will support all local health and care systems to implement social prescribing connector schemes across the whole country, supporting government’s aim to have a universal national offer available in GP practices. This means that more people will be connected with the care and support they need when they are experiencing loneliness, no matter where they live.

• The Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Department for Work and Welfare will test methods that will improve how a range of organisations (such as community pharmacies, social workers, community nurses and jobcentres) refer into existing social prescribing services and provision in 2019/20.

• The Department for Culture, Communities and Local Government will work in collaboration with local bodies, the Local Government Association and others to run up to four data pilots with four local authorities to identify ways of ensuring that information and data can be made more accessible. The goal is to find ways to make sharing information more efficient, accurate and sustainable to help people find relevant local activities, services and support.

• The Home Office will pilot a scheme working with Royal Mail, private enterprise, local authorities and the local voluntary sector to help identify and support older people experiencing loneliness.

• The Department for Culture, Communities and Local Government will fund research into innovative, community-led housing projects to understand how these can help to tackle loneliness and support social connections.

• The Department for Education will publish guidance to help schools open up as accessible spaces in the centre of their communities.

• The Department for Transport will build partnerships with transport providers and community groups to develop how public transport can be used as a means to help tackle loneliness, and use industry-wide forums to promote these.

• Through a campaign, the government will explore how best to reduce stigma and raise awareness of the importance of social connections and how we can encourage people to take action through easy-to-understand messages and information.

• Public Health England’s mental health campaign will highlight loneliness as a potential risk factor for poor mental health, and emphasise the importance of strong social connections.

• The Department for Digital Innovation, Business and Skills will encourage more employers to recognise loneliness and support their employees’ social wellbeing through an Employers Pledge. This builds on the 21 organisations who have already signed up: The UK Government Civil Service, Transport for London, National Grid, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, British Red Cross, Nationwide Building Society, the Big Lottery Fund, Aviva, Zurich UK, Transport for Greater Manchester, British Chambers of Commerce, Age UK, Royal Voluntary Service, Cisco, Association of Convenience Stores, Financial Ombudsman Service, Golin, Mersey Travel, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Nexus. The department will continue to work with the Campaign to End Loneliness to expand this network of signatories in order to capture and share best practice on tackling loneliness among employees.

• The Department for Culture, Communities and Local Government along with the Department for Health and Social Care will work with Arts Council England to address loneliness through its programmes, as well as utilising the loneliness measure in its work. Alongside this, the department will raise awareness of the role that libraries can play,including through Libraries Week.

• Sport England will make new grant awards totalling £1 million from its Active Ageing Fund to two programmes which specifically tackle loneliness through sport and physical activity for people over 55

• The Secretaries and Ministers of State associated for Sport and Work and Welfare will continue to lead the cross-government work on tackling loneliness and also developing solutions for tackling the problem as well.

• Ministers at key government departments such as Housing, Culture, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Digital Innovation, Business and Skills, and the Department for Transport) will have their portfolios extended to include loneliness. This marks a commitment to a truly cross-governmental approach.

• From 2019/20 individual government departments will be required to highlight in their Single Departmental Plans the progress they are making on their commitments to this agenda and how they are proactively addressing loneliness . Alongside this, The Government will continue to explore additional options to ensure social relationships are considered across its wider policy-making.

I commend the above statement to the House.

This statement is authored by the Right Honourable Lord Helensburgh PC, Her Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Work and Welfare in consultation with the Honourable Member for East Midlands (List), Her Majesty’s Minister of State for Work and Welfare.