In its final evidence session, the Joint Committee will question Maria Caulfield, Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, and Rt Hon Damian Hinds, Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation.
Members will examine the views of Ministers and NHS England leaders on the proposals made in the draft Mental Health bill and evidence heard during the Committee’s inquiry.
Meeting details
Questions are expected to cover changes to detention criteria, especially for people with autism and learning disabilities. The Committee may consider whether proposed legislative changes will, in practice, reduce racial inequalities in detention rates.
Ministers are likely to be asked about discrepancies between patients encountering treatment through the criminal justice system, rather than the medical system.
The session may also cover proposals to improve patient choice, the treatment on young people and children, and whether workforce and funding are sufficient to reach the draft Bill’s aims.