PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BETTER MENTAL HEALTH ACT CAMPAIGN (6 February 2006)

That this House regrets the Government's decision to reject many of the pre-legislative scrutiny committee's recommendations on the 2004 draft Mental Health Bill; believes that unless the measures proposed in the draft Bill are significantly altered as proposed by the committee, the resultant new Mental Health Act will seriously restrict the rights, choices and wellbeing of people with mental distress and force too many people into compulsory treatment; calls for a new Bill that ensures that powers to treat people compulsorily are only used when there is a definite therapeutic benefit and that compulsion is only used when a person's ability to make a decision about accepting treatment is significantly impaired as a result of mental disorder; supports the committee's view that compulsory treatment in the community is appropriate in only a relatively small number of cases whose clinical characteristics should be clearly defined; further believes that people must have access to voluntary care and treatment when they need it in order to achieve the Government's declared aim of minimising the risk of people with a mental health problem deteriorating to the point where the need for consideration of compulsory treatment arises; calls on the Government to provide evidence for its assertion, in its response to the committee, that the general public does not share the committee's belief that the Bill is inappropriately concerned with public safety; and supports the Mental Health Alliance's campaign for a better Mental Health Act.

Sponsored by:
Lynne Jones (Labour)