Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2015
I welcome the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill as amended at stage 2 and stage 3, which I very much hope and believe will be passed this evening. The bill is specific and focused and will deliver in a number of significant, although in some regards incremental, ways to benefit the people of Scotland.
I am pleased that members agreed to my amendment to place a duty on health boards to publicise any support that they offer in the making and withdrawing of advance statements and to require them to provide information to the Mental Welfare Commission in meeting that duty. I very much hope that that will drive change, boosting the awareness, numbers and use of advance statements and ensuring that the wishes of those with mental health disorders regarding their treatment and their lives are respected where they can be.
I am pleased that we have extended rights in other areas, such as the rights of victims of crime to a victim notification scheme. It is fitting and correct that we have done that.
This bill has also been a listening process. As I said, the Scottish Government listened to my case about advance statements at stage 3, and it backed a variety of other amendments, including some at stage 2. One of my amendments was about restricting the amount of invasive treatments that a cross-border absconding patient could receive as emergency treatment should they arrive in Scotland. The Government moved to protect the rights of those vulnerable, if at times challenging, individuals, and it was fit and proper that that was done.
The issue of learning disabilities in the bill has been shaped by the whole Parliament. A Government that listens will accept some—quite a lot, but not necessarily all—amendments that are lodged, which is right. There seems to be an undercurrent that if the Government does not accept all the amendments on learning disabilities it is somehow not listening, but that is simply not the case. I look forward to receiving more information about a review of learning disabilities, and I hope that we will have a rights-based approach to treating people with learning disabilities and those living with autism.
I hope that we can give cognisance to how aspects such as the implementation of self-directed support by local authorities, particularly in Glasgow, has negatively impacted on those with learning disabilities in the city that I represent, and I hope that that can be reflected in how we take the measure forward. We need service provision for those who are living with learning disabilities. Some fine learning disability centres in Glasgow were gateways that enabled vulnerable adults to engage and interact with the wider community, but many of those people have been left without the required support because their right to that facility was withdrawn by the local authority. In considering how we treat and respect those who live with learning disabilities, we must look at the role of local authorities and ensure that they fulfil their obligations regarding the rights of those people—certainly the people who I represent in Glasgow feel that many of their rights have been withdrawn. I look forward to supporting the bill, which will improve the lot of those who live with mental health challenges in Scotland.
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