Mental Health Act 2007 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2008

My Lords, I am a Member of your Lordships’ House who lived life to the full through the whole passage of the Mental Health Act 2007 and the various consultations and pre-legislative discussion that preceded it. Your Lordships will recall that at one stage it was expected that there would be a completely new and self-contained mental health Act but, in the end, the Government opted for an Act that is not self-contained but, none the less, makes important amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983 and other Acts. I did not have strong views on that point because I found that we were able to make substantive amendments in the form of new additions to the 1983 Act. An example is Section 31 of the Mental Health Act 2007, adding a new Section 131A to the Mental Health Act 1983 on age-appropriate accommodation for children. In the 2007 Act, we achieved points of substance, but I welcome the order tonight, which is, as far as I can see, wholly consequential and technical, because I attach importance to completing everything that we set out to achieve in the 2007 Act. This is part of that programme. I would also welcome hearing the Minister's comments on the points raised by the noble Earl, Lord Howe, on some of the substantive matters.