Lords 'tidies up' Mental Health Bill

The Mental Health Bill seeks to amend the Mental Health Act 1983. Changes proposed in the bill include:

• Tightening the detention criteria in the 1983 Act and providing for more frequent reviews
• Limiting the period that people with autism or a learning disability can be detained
• Removing prisons and police stations as 'places of safety' in the Act.

Third reading

Third reading, a chance for members to ‘tidy up' a bill, concentrating on making sure the eventual law is effective and workable, began on Wednesday 2 April.

An amendment (change) was put forward that would reduce from six months to three months the period within which an application to the tribunal may be made, where a patient is transferred from guardianship to a hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983. The amendment was agreed to without a vote.

Catch up

• Watch on Parliament TV.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript.

Explore further information

Find out more about the bill in the House of Lords Library briefing.

Next steps

The bill now passes to the House of Commons for their consideration.

What's happened so far?

Report stage

Report stage, a further chance to closely scrutinise elements of the bill and make changes, concluded on Wednesday 2 April.

Committee stage

Committee stage, a detailed line by line examination of the separate parts (clauses and schedules) of a bill, concluded on Monday 24 February.

Second reading

Second reading, a full debate on the key principles of the bill, took place on  Monday 25 November 2024.

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