21 Mental health
| (26932)
13442/05
COM(05) 484
| Commission Green Paper: Improving the mental health of the population. Towards a strategy on mental health for the European Union
|
| Legal base | — |
| Department | Health |
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 8 June 2006
|
| Previous Committee Report | HC 34-xiv (2005-06), para 5 (11 January 2006)
|
| To be discussed in Council | No date set
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Previous scrutiny
21.1 In November 2005, we considered the Commission's Green Paper.[66]
It invited comments on the following questions:
- How relevant is the mental health of the population to the
EU's strategic policy objectives for economic and social cohesion,
growth and jobs and social justice?
- Would the development of a comprehensive EU-strategy
on mental health add value?
- If it would, would the following be the right
priorities for the strategy: creating a framework for co-operation
and the exchange of information between Member States; helping
increase the coherence of action across policies; and establishing
a framework to involve the providers and users of mental health
services and non-governmental organisations in finding and delivering
solutions?
- Would it be appropriate, for example, for the
Council to adopt a Resolution on the promotion of mental health
and a Recommendation on the reduction of depression and suicidal
depression?
21.2 Late in 2006, the Commission will publish an
analysis of the responses to the Green Paper and, if appropriate,
proposals for an EU strategy on mental health.
21.3 We noted that the World Health Organisation
and the Council of Europe are already active in this field. We
asked the Minister of State at the Department of Health (Rosie
Winterton) for her comments on why an EC strategy on mental health
is needed in addition. We also asked her to send us a copy of
the Government's response to the Green Paper.
21.4 In her reply of 20 December 2005, the Minister
told us that the Government was consulting on whether an EC mental
health strategy would add value and wished to consider the responses
before reaching a firm view of its own.[67]
She added, however, that the Government could see potential benefits
for the UK from the sort of strategy envisaged by the Green Paper,
which echoed current UK policy priorities. But an EC strategy
would need to complement the WHO Helsinki Declaration and other
planned activity, not duplicate it.[68]
Moreover, it would need to be sufficiently flexible to recognise
the differences between Member States' mental health services
and the incidence of mental illnesses.
21.5 We agreed with the Minister that there are potential
benefits from sharing information, evidence and good practice
on mental health. We retained doubts, however, that a new EC strategy
is needed in addition to the valuable work that is being done
through the World Health Organisation and the Council of Europe.
We decided to keep the Green Paper under scrutiny pending our
consideration of the Government's response to it.
The UK's response
21.6 On 8 June, the Minister sent us a copy of the
UK's response to the Green Paper. It represents the views of the
Government and the devolved administrations. The Minister says:
"To summarise, it [the response] generally
concurs with the Green Paper's proposals subject to two clear
principles:
That any EU strategy that emerges must serve
as a contribution to the Helsinki Declaration's implementation,
not as an alternative to it; and
That it must accommodate and support Member States'
own local priorities (insofar as they are consistent with Helsinki
and the strategy).
The main extra points that [the response] makes
are:
the need for the strategy to address inequalities
in mental health — this maintains consistency with the
themes of last year's UK Presidency of the EU;
the need for a strategy that integrates health
and social care with other policy sectors — for example,
employment and education — that have a role in promoting
mental health and social inclusion; and
the need for the strategy to be clear about what
specific action the EU will take and who will be accountable for
it."
21.7 Finally, the Minister tells us that she expects
that the Commission will make a proposal for an EC mental health
strategy by the end of 2006.
Conclusion
21.8 We shall reserve further comment on the case
for an EC mental health strategy until we see the proposal the
Commission is expected to make later this year. We have no further
questions to put to the Minister about the Green Paper. For these
reasons, we are now content to clear it from scrutiny.
66 See HC 34-x (2005-06), para 10 (16 November 2005). Back
67
See headnote. Back
68
In January 2005 the Commission helped the WHO to organise a conference
on mental health in Helsinki. The conference was attended by European
Ministers and established a framework for action on mental health.
The Commission was invited to help implement it. Back
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