Mental Health Bill [HL]

My Lords, I, too, was unfortunately incapacitated for most of the Bill’s passage through your Lordships’ House, and I am very grateful to those who took my place, particularly my noble friend Lady Murphy, and the noble Baroness, Lady Barker, on the Liberal Democrat Benches. I want to say ““thank you”” for the fact that the Bournewood case now appears to have been solved. We hope that it has been solved. We are particularly grateful for Amendment No. 79, which introduces a regulation-making power to reduce the maximum authorisation period for a Bournewood detention below one year, following the monitoring of the operation of the Bournewood provisions in practice; and for Amendments Nos. 80 to 99, which give Bournewood patients and their representatives the right to an independent mental capacity advocate and set out the circumstances in which this applies. We have worried about Bournewood for so long now. At long last, the other place has provided the final solutions to this problem.