The Liberal Democrats have pledged to increase taxes on major social media companies and tech giants like Amazon and Google to fund mental health professionals for all state schools in England if they win the upcoming general election.
The party plans to finance this initiative by tripling the Digital Services Tax, which these companies currently pay.
Recent NHS statistics reveal that nearly 340,000 children and young people are on waiting lists for mental health services in England.
The Conservatives responded, highlighting their increased training spots for mental health nurses, while Labour promised to provide mental health support in every school.
According to the latest NHS report, one in five children and young people aged between eight and 25 had a probable mental disorder last year.
Currently, schools have various mental health support options. These include funding for training existing staff and access to external mental health support teams for early intervention on issues like anxiety. These teams are expected to reach half of the schools by March 2025.
NHS data, compiled by the House of Commons Library for the Liberal Democrats, showed that 336,886 under-18s were waiting for their first appointment with a mental health professional in the first quarter of this year. The average waiting time nationwide is just over six months (187 days), but this varies widely by region. For instance, in St Helens, Merseyside, the wait time is more than double the average at 444 days.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey stated that thousands of children are being “left in limbo” while waiting for mental health treatment.
The party’s manifesto promises to ensure state-funded schools provide access to a qualified mental health practitioner or school counsellor, funded by the central government. Smaller schools with 100 or fewer pupils could share a mental health professional.
Mr. Davey emphasized that their plan would be funded by taxing social media giants, which he claims are “a big part of the problem.”
The Digital Services Tax, introduced in April 2020, targets large multinational enterprises running social media services, online search engines, or online marketplaces for UK consumers. It is a 2% tax on companies with revenues exceeding £500 million worldwide and £25 million in the UK.
The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that the tax will raise about £760 million in 2024-25. Tripling the rate is estimated to generate an additional £1.5 billion.
Conservative Minister for Mental Health, Maria Caulfield, stated, “We have nearly doubled the number of training places for mental health nursing to ensure we have the specialist workforce needed for long-term patient care.”
Labour’s health secretary, Wes Streeting, commented, “Labour will put mental health support in every school and hubs in every community, funded by abolishing tax breaks for private schools.”
