Amendments

The Alliance has tabled over 70 amendments to the Mental Health Bill. To read all of the amendments, please visit the Parliament website.

The purpose of an amendment is to prompt a debate which will allow both sides of an argument to be heard in public. Following the discussion the amendment will be withdrawn. Then either the Government will come back with their own amendment to solve the problem, or the Peer/MP will re-introduce the same amendment or the issue will be dropped.

The Mental Health Alliance tabled amendments at House of Lords Committee Stage in the following areas.

To add principles to the face of the Bill
To add exclusions
To introduce a concept of impaired decision making to Part 2
To introduce a right to assessment
To examine the Government’s thinking on treatability
Renewal of detention
To introduce a single gateway into treatment
To introduce further treatment safeguards including standards for ECT
To introduce advance decisions
Safeguards for children
Criminal justice: remand on bail, resolving disputes as to receiving hospital, duty of the Secretary of State
Warrant to search for and remove patients
Nominated person
To introduce a right to advocacy
To examine the Government’s thinking on Supervised Community Treatment
Tribunals: patients subject to hospital and guardianship orders, restricted patients, membership, persons under 18, referral to tribunal by hospital manager, duty of Secretary of State, obstruction
Right to move hospital
Place of safety
To strengthen Bournewood safeguards
To strengthen the code of practice.

The only vote at Committee Stage was on Impaired Decision Making, the amendment was passed. All other amendments were withdrawn.

Amendments can be read online on the Parliament website

The debates can be read online:

Committee Stage

Key MHA amendments will be re-introduced at Report Stage.


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