Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alistair Burt and Martyn Day

Tuesday 5th January 2016 Commons Chamber

[Alistair Burt]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There has been a 54% reduction in the use of police cells for mental health cases in the past three years. This is being improved by work of the local crisis care concordat. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will later this year introduce legislation to prevent children and young people from being held in police cells at all, but the use of police cells has gone down dramatically because of the use of the crisis care concordat. We will continue that process.

[Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)]

T9. Yesterday, the Minister’s offer to junior doctors had still not dealt with the important issue of weekend working and appropriate compensation. As a result, doctors in England will be forced to strike and the Minister will have damaged the patient safety he claims to value. Instead of attacking consultants and junior doctors, will he follow the example of the Scottish Government and work with the medical profession to help the NHS face the challenges of increased demands and private finance initiative-induced deficits?