Government rejects criticism on mental health green paper

The Government has made its response to the Education and Health and Social Care Committees report on the It’s Green Paper on mental health.

It has rejected the Committees' claims that the plans lack ambition in terms of scale and pace, saying that the Green Paper proposals are "genuinely transformational" and will take time to roll-out in a meaningful and useful way.

The government has said, however, that the Committees' inquiry provided helpful insights during the period of consultation on the Green Paper

It acknowledged many of the concerns which the Committees heard during the course of the inquiry, including the need for the Green Paper proposals to integrate into the existing world of provision and services around children and young people; the need to join up with existing work across government; and the importance of the proposals having a positive impact on vulnerable groups.

The Committees will consider in due course how best to follow up their report.