A Consultation on proposals for a Mental Health (Scotland) Bill

Chapter 6 How to respond

Written comments

78. We are inviting written responses to this consultation paper by e-mail or by post by 25 March 2014. Please send your response, along with the completed Respondent Information Form (see 'Handling your Response' below) by email to: mentalhealthlaw@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

If need be, you can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public internet access point is.

If you wish to send a hard copy of your response, please send it to:

John Williamson
Scottish Government Health Directorate
Mental Health and Protection of Rights Division
Mental Health Law Team
3-ER St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

79. We would be grateful if you would use the consultation questionnaire provided or would clearly indicate in your response which questions or parts of this paper you are responding to, as this will aid our analysis of the responses received.

Handling your response

80. We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please ensure that you send a copy of your respondent information form see Chapter 7 with any responses so that we have your details and know if you are happy for your response to be made publicly available.

81. If you ask for your response not to be published, we will regard it as confidential and treat it accordingly. All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

Next steps

82. If you tell us we can make your response public, we will put it in the Scottish Government Library and on the Scottish Government web pages. We will check all responses where agreement to publish has been given for any wording that might be harmful to others before putting them in the library or on the website. If you would like to see the responses please contact the Scottish Government Library on 0131 244 4565. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made for this service.

What happens next?

83. The SG will consider its proposals for a draft Bill in light of the responses received to this consultation, and then, in the Summer 2014, introduce a Bill for the Scottish Parliament's consideration.

Comments and complaints

84. If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to:

Carol Sibbald
Head of Mental Health Law Team,
Mental Health and Protection of Rights Division,
Scottish Government,
Area 3-ER St Andrews House,
Regent Road,
Edinburgh EH1 3DG

Scottish Government consultations

85. This consultation, and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises, can be viewed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations

86. The Scottish Government has an e-mail alert system for consultations. This system, called SEconsult, allows individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email with details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements, but in no way replaces, Scottish Government distribution lists. It is designed to allow people with an interest to keep up to date with all Scottish Government consultation activity. You can register at SEconsult: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/seconsult.aspx