Lib Dem victory on Mental Capacity Bill

On 2 April 2019, the House of Commons debated the Mental Capacity Bill which now includes huge concessions the Liberal Democrats secured from the Government.

The Bill aims to reform the process in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for authorising arrangements enabling the care or treatment of people who lack the capacity to consent, which give rise to a deprivation of their liberty.

The Liberal Democrats led a cross-party effort which secured a huge concession from the Government to remove their exclusionary definition which would have led to people not being protected when deprived of their liberty, and further includes a commitment to review the Code of Practice.

Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Judith Jolly said:

"This Bill when it was first introduced was one of the worst pieces of legislation ever to be considered by Parliament.

"What was proposed by the Conservative Government would not have fixed any of the issues we see at the moment in authorising care for those who can no longer consent, and instead would have ridden roughshod over their rights.

"Through consistent, hard work over the past few months, the Liberal Democrats have secured key concessions to the Conservative Government's shoddy legislation. Today's win removes the Government's exclusionary definition of deprivation of liberty to protect the rights of those who are not capable of consenting.

"Liberal Democrats demanded better of the Government, and secured better for all those in care."

Former Lib Dem Health Minister, Norman Lamb MP (pictured with Jerry Roodhouse at Coventry and Warwickshire Mind) is a leading campaigner on mental health issues and Chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority on Mental Health.

https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/mental-health-commission/