Council officer gives expert opinion to House of Lords select committee

An officer from Shropshire Council has been called to give expert evidence at the House of Lords about how successful the Mental Capacity Act has been in supporting vulnerable people.

The Select Committee on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 asked Lorraine Currie, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards team manager at the council, to give oral evidence after being impressed with her written submission.

Lorraine travelled to London on 22 October 2013 and said it was an interesting, if daunting, experience.

She said:

“I gave evidence for about an hour with Terry Dafter who was the ADASS National Mental Health Lead. It was so daunting to be there and I was very nervous beforehand but the committee soon put us at ease.

“The questions were really insightful and the Lords were fully engaged with the answers, and seemed to particularly enjoy hearing about practical solutions and positive outcomes. It was a marvellous opportunity.”

The aim of the select committee is to review the Mental Capacity Act in terms of whether it is meeting its aims to help vulnerable people with their decision-making.

Councillor Lee Chapman, Cabinet member for adult services, added:

“Select committees only want to hear evidence from the very best in their field, so it is testament to Lorraine’s knowledge and experience that they wanted her to speak to them in person.

“The Mental Capacity Act is an important piece of legislation that can have a profound impact on people’s lives, so we hope for a positive outcome from this review.”

The committee session was recorded by Parliament TV and can be viewed by clicking this link.