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Mental Health Bill [Lords]

I begin by echoing the welcome extended to the Minister, who I am sure will lead us through the final breaths of the Bill as ably as the right hon. Member for Doncaster, Central (Ms Winterton), who is now Minister of State at the Department for Transport, did in its earlier stages. The Minister said that it had been a long journey to get this far with the Bill, and it certainly has been. I only joined when I became a Member of Parliament two years ago, and the many constituency cases that I encountered sparked my interest in mental health matters. However, if the road has been long, our route has not been direct and the vehicle that we have used has not been the most efficient. We did not ride in the Government’s Toyota Prius, with all its economy and value; instead, we have taken an old banger to move from left to right. Yet we are where we are, and we have our Bill nevertheless.