Clause 4
Mental Health Bill [Lords]
2:15 pm
Tim Loughton (Shadow Minister (Children), Health; East Worthing and Shoreham, Conservative)
I totally acknowledge the point that the Minister is making, which is predicated on a subjective interpretation that an impaired decision-making test will in some way be a greater hindrancefor people accessing treatment than is the current legislation. What we said earlier was that people who are in a state of distress and are likely to commit suicide are more likely to be picked up on the basisof impaired decision making. We seek to protectthose people. The Minister’s is an entirely subjective interpretation of what will be achieved by using an impaired decision-making test.