Foreword

Those who have been following the progress of the mental health law reforms in England and Wales may be forgiven for experiencing a sense of déjà-vu during the Queen’s Speech last year, as the much anticipated Mental Health Bill was (perhaps not surprisingly) absent from the Government’s parliamentary agenda for the second year running. It would seem that ministers are unable to reach agreement on the exact direction of the new Bill. There are also rumblings that the much needed Mental Health Act reforms are not being afforded sufficiently high priority by the Government. John Reid, the Health Secretary, was quick to respond such criticisms in November, confirming the Government’s intention to bring forward a revised Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by Parliamentary Committee “as soon as possible”. For the time being however, it remains to be seen when the new reforms will be introduced