Wales Needs Own Legislation on Mental Health

1.13.13pm GMT Mon 8th Jan 2007

A new Mental Health Law affecting England and Wales will be considered in the House of Lords today. Jenny Randerson AM, Health Spokesperson for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said "The new UK Mental Health Bill will do nothing to modernise mental health legislation. It will introduce a broad range of new powers, yet do little to make the public safer.

"The Bill will introduce wide powers of compulsion into the community while failing to give people in Wales the same rights and safeguards that are in place in Scotland.

"I am going to campaign for Wales to steer its own course on Mental Health as unless the Bill is significantly amended it will not meet Welsh mental health needs. Wales must take the opportunity to lead the rest of the UK in best practice. The Labour Assembly Government should be pressing the UK Government to devolve the powers on Mental Health Legislation to the Assembly."

Notes:

The Bill if it became law, permit the enforced detention of people suffering from "untreatable" personality disorders, even if they have not committed any crime.

UPDATE

A Liberal Democrat-led coalition of Cross Party Peers, including Labour rebels, has overwhelming defeated the Government by 106 votes in the Lords on changes to the Mental Health Bill.

The change ensures that people who have full decision making ability, and who have not committed any crime, cannot be forced to have treatment imposed on them.