Clause 3
Mental Health Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Rosie Winterton (Minister of State (Health Services), Department of Health; Doncaster Central, Labour)
I will come to that point. The Lords amendment does not restore sexual deviancy. I was trying to explain the background to our changing the exclusions. I was explaining why, because of the issues that I have just mentioned, we decided to exclude sexual deviancy. The amendment does not reintroduce it. There are different reasons why we believe that that is necessary. That is the background to the previous exclusions. I shall now deal with why we disagree with the exclusions that we are currently discussing.
Unfortunately, the other place introduced a new set of exclusions into the Bill. As hon. Members can see,
“sexual identity or orientation...commission, or likely commission, of illegal or disorderly acts”
and
“cultural, religious or political beliefs”
would be excluded. However, those exclusions have never been included and, as far as we can see, theyhave never been needed. Although I use the word “exclusions”, I am probably using it incorrectly, because the things that are listed are nothing of the sort. They are about conditions, behaviours and beliefs, but none of them are mental disorders.