Mental Health Bill [HL]

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken in this debate. I have found every contribution extremely enlightening and valuable. I also listened with great care to the Minister and thank her for her reply. Very sadly, it is clear that this is one of those issues on which we are not going to agree. I totally accept the Government’s honourable intentions in not wishing to subject to detention anyone who does not have a mental disorder. The issue is whether Parliament, in common with comparable legal jurisdictions, should delineate what should and should not fall within the scope of the law. I listened carefully to the noble Baroness’s exposition of the safeguards in the Act and the Bill but still maintain that there is a clear value in the Act setting down clear markers about how Parliament wishes the very broad definition of mental disorder to be interpreted in the field. If the Government consider that some of the exclusions are legally otiose, I might in some cases be forced to agree with them. However, the fact is that, to the extent that they may be otiose, that does not seem to have caused problems in other jurisdictions in which similar provisions have been adopted. Indeed, the noble Baroness was gracious enough to say that, in some instances, she did not disagree with the sentiment behind those provisions. To the noble Lord, Lord Soley, I simply say that I would not wish to deny people with obsessive compulsive disorders access to therapeutic care, if that is what they need. The issue is whether such people should be compelled into treatment, if there is no underlying mental health diagnosis. That is what troubles me about the possibility of confusing the boundaries between what a mental disorder is and is not. I do not know how the balance of opinion in the House lies. All I can judge is that this afternoon’s speeches have been heavily weighted towards the amendment and I take encouragement from that. Therefore, I think that it is appropriate for me to test the opinion of the House. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 3) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 216; Not-Contents, 128. Clause 5 [Replacement of ““treatability”” and ““care”” tests with appropriate treatment test]: