Mental Health Act Reform

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 2:33 pm on 13 January 2021.

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Photo of Barbara Keeley Barbara Keeley Labour, Worsley and Eccles South 2:33, 13 January 2021

With the detention of 2,000 autistic people and people with learning disabilities who are currently trapped in inappropriate mental health units, the news that autism and learning disabilities will no longer be grounds for detention under the Mental Health Act is welcome. As well as changes to the legal framework, ending this in-patient detention means putting in place funding for community support, which has often not been available due to cuts to council budgets. Can the Secretary of State set out what additional funding the Government will be putting into those community services so that we can follow through on this much-needed reform?