Professor Dinesh Bhugra, president of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists, said:
“Mark Harper should be congratulated for
raising this important issue. The fact that discrimination against
mental health still exists at the very heart of parliament is
simply unacceptable.
“Parliamentarians need to lead the fight
against stigma and discrimination from the front. In 2004 the
Government agreed to address this issue in legislation, but failed
to do so. The Mark Harper amendment to the Equality Bill presents a
significant opportunity for MPs to demonstrate to the outside world
that discrimination against mental health has no place in
parliament, or elsewhere, when 1 in 4 of us are likely to develop
mental illness of one kind or another at some point in our
lives.”
For further information, please
contact:
Liz Leicester
or Deborah Hart in the Communications
Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127
Note to editors:
Mark Harper MP, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, today (24 June 2009) challenged the Prime Minister at Prime Minister’s Questions to amend discriminatory provisions in existing legislation. Currently, under Section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983, an MP automatically loses their seat in Parliament if detained under the Act for a period of six months or more. In contrast, there are no provisions to remove MPs suffering from physical illnesses which stop them from carrying out their duties and responsibilities for the same length of time.
In July 2008 a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health, supported by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other mental health organisations, showed that one in five MPs have some personal experience of a mental health problem. But one in 3 said work-based stigma and the expectation of a hostile reaction from the media and public prevented them from being open about mental health issues. The report, Mental Health in Parliament, called for the removal of Section 141 – a change which was backed by the majority of MPs surveyed. See the full report at http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pressparliament/aboutourparliamentarywork/allpartygroup/mentalhealthinparliament.aspx