Lord Stevens of Birmingham:

Moved by Lord Stevens of Birmingham

59: After Clause 51, insert the following new Clause—“Funding and reporting(1) For each financial year until all sections of this Act have come into force, of the total health service expenditure by the bodies (taken together) in subsection (2), the proportion which relates to mental health spending—(a) under the Mental Health Act 1983, and(b) under this Act or which, in future, would be made under provision inserted into the Mental Health Act 1983 by this Act,(taken together) must not decrease.(2) The bodies are the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and integrated care boards.” Member's explanatory statementThis amendment seeks to ensure that, within whatever overall health service funding is set by Government, the share spent on mental health in England does not fall while the Act is being implemented.

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her response to Amendment 59. I accept that there are some philosophical differences of view that she expressed. However, I do not think it was right to say that the scope of Amendment 59 does not include any community and preventive mental health care, since the Bill itself includes provisions that relate to those types of services. In any event, now is not the time for further relitigating. I wish to test the opinion of the House on Amendment 59.

Ayes 19, Noes 112.

Amendment 59 disagreed.

Amendments 60 to 63 not moved.