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Mental Health Bill [Lords]

Obviously, there will still be a Labour Government. I thank the Committee chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) for its interest in the Bill and its probing and detailed approach. I thank him for his comments about the way in which I have engaged with the Committee and for saying that he will not press new clause 8 to a Division, in recognition of the fact that the Government’s position has moved. The hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) was ably assisted by the hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh)—I am sure that his relatives will note the interest that he declared. I have tried to explain why amendment No. 83, which was tabled by the hon. Member for Romsey, is unacceptable. The hon. Lady called for greater clarity. As I said, we will examine the code. We will also continue to discuss with YoungMinds and the children’s commissioner the way in which we develop consolidated CAMHS guidance for practitioners, which is her particular concern, so that we can bring together a lot of necessary information and existing guidance. I assure her that we will keep her informed, perhaps through the organisations on behalf of which she spoke. If she knows of other organisations with concerns outwith those that I have named, she might like to let me have that information so that I can ensure that officials liaise with them on the guidance. The hon. Member for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) raised the question of cost and talked about the importance of services near to home. In my opening remarks, I pointed out how we are examining the commissioning of services with the Care Services Improvement Partnership. If we can get proper commissioning and the performance management about which we have talked—perhaps we could ask the Healthcare Commission to examine this matter—we can ensure that services are as near to home as feasible and that people are aware of where beds are available. We will give funding estimates, and we will ensure that the health service has the necessary funds available. Our estimates suggest that there will be overall capital costs of £10 million as well as ongoing revenue costs. We will work closely with the health service. As hon. Members will know, we have already made announcements about this matter. My hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon) was right that 16 and 17-year-olds—those affected by amendment No. 4, which she tabled—are at an extremely vulnerable time of their lives. I was struck by the fact that she said that YoungMinds and the children’s commissioner were especially supportive of the amendment. I get the feeling that it is supported by hon. Members on both sides of the House, and we will certainly accept it. I congratulate her on introducing it.