Question reference: S6W-19494
- Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 27 June 2023 Registered interest
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maree Todd on 28 June 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review.
Answer
I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government has today published a high-level response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review .
The Review, chaired by Lord Scott KC, recommended changes to mental health and capacity law, policy and practice to improve the protection and fulfilment of human rights in the short, medium and long term.
Our response outlines our intention to establish a new long-term programme of improvement and reform in response to the ambition set out by the Review. In it, we set out our vision for change and outline our priorities for reform.
The Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme will update and modernise our mental health and capacity legislation to better align with international human rights. It will be a long term programme that supports change to give people greater control over their own lives, care and treatment.
An early focus will be on strengthening rights protections for Adults with Incapacity, improving support for decision-making and the way in which human rights are put into practice. The response and early priorities have been informed by our initial engagement with a range of stakeholders.
A process of broader engagement will commence over the coming months to develop and refine the detail of our plans and support progress in putting these into action. Further detail about the Programme and plans for delivery will be published in stages from Autumn 2023. I will seek to secure a slot for a Ministerial statement at that stage to ensure that members can contribute to a discussion on our plans for a Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme.