Following rumours that the Mental Health Bill has been shelved, the Department of Health has informed us that the Government does intend to introduce it “when parliamentary time allows”.
Adrian Sieff, Head of Mental Health Legislation, stated: “The Government has undertaken an enormous amount of useful consultation on the proposed new legislation and believes that the new Bill strikes the right balance between protecting the individual’s rights and the need for society to take steps to protect individuals from harming themselves or others as the result of their mental disorder.”
However, the statement also does not rule out the possibility that the Bill faces a significant delay. Pressure has reportedly been placed on ministers by a recent report concluding that far greater resources would be needed to implement the Bill.