Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review the funding provisions for the parents of children detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, in particular in the light of the number of children held in hospitals that are significant distances away from their homes.

Under the hospital travel costs scheme, parents are eligible to apply for help with travel costs to accompany their children being treated in distant locations. This is means tested. Parents and carers of children detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 may also, in some circumstances, seek additional assistance provided at the discretion of the clinical commissioning group as part of the child’s care package.