Committees

The Right to Freedom and Safety: Reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards inquiry

Inquiry

It is vital to have mechanisms to ensure that arrangements made for people who lack capacity are in their best interests.

It is also important that resources are, as far as possible, directed to care rather than to legal and bureaucratic processes.

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) scheme safeguards against the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of people who lack capacity to consent to their care or treatment, such as people living with dementia, people with autism and people with learning disabilities, providing legal authorisation for depriving a person of their liberty in a care home or hospital setting.

However, there is widespread consensus that the scheme is broken.

Government response

Reports, special reports and government responses

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7th Report - The Right to Freedom and Safety: Reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Inquiry The Right to Freedom and Safety: Reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards inquiry
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HC 890 / HL 161
Report

Oral evidence transcripts

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28 March 2018
Inquiry The Right to Freedom and Safety: Reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards inquiry
Witnesses Nicholas Paines QC, Commissioner, Law Commission , Tim Spencer-Lane, Lawyer, Law Commission, Betsey Lau-Robinson, Head of Safeguarding Adults, the Mental Capacity Act and Prevent, University College London Hospital, and Stephen Chandler, Director, Adult Social Services, Somerset Council.
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Oral Evidence
21 March 2018
Inquiry The Right to Freedom and Safety: Reform of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards inquiry
Witnesses Graham Enderby, Mark Neary, Lucy Series, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Law, Cardiff University, and Alexander Ruck Keene, Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers.
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Oral Evidence

Written evidence

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Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (DOL0121)
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Alex Ruck Keene (DOL0120)
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Mrs Caroline Hanman (DOL0118)
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Other publications

Government Responses
The Government has undertaken to respond to most committee reports within two months, although there are exceptions to this rule.
1 published

Contact us

The Committee is unable to look into individual cases

  • Email: jchr@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 0207 219 2793 (general enquiries) | 020 7219 8430 (media enquiries)
  • Address: Joint Committee on Human Rights, Houses of Parliament. London. SW1A 0AA