§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if Her Majesty's Government will make available sufficient money to make the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill fully effective in view of the evidence that shortage of funds is affecting mental health care and suitable after-care, and that increasing numbers of health review tribunals will be a further drain on limited resources and finances.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe extra funds necessary for implementation of the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill including additional mental health review tribunal hearings are set out in explanatory and financial memorandum attached to the Bill as brought from the Lords on 9 March. These funds will be made available. The Bill is mainly concerned with powers to detain a comparatively small number of mentally disordered patients in hospital and has no significant resource implications for general mental health care.