§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the way the mental health services are operating in Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythMental health services in Scotland are designed to ensure that people with mental illness receive appropriate treatment either as in-patients or increasingly as out-patients or through a wide range of services in the community. The recommendations of the SHARPEN report, which the Government have endorsed, accord a high priority to care in the community whenever appropriate for people who are mentally ill. The proposals set out in the White Paper "Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond" will bring further improvements in community care services for people with mental illness.