About All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health
The current All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health (APPGMH) is a cross-party group re-founded in 1996 to raise the profile of mental health issues in Parliament and to act as a political avenue for those affected by mental health issues to express their concerns. The APPGMH meets on average five times a year to discuss topics relating to mental health. These meeting often involve guest speakers, either Ministers; representatives of non-governmental organisations; or members of the public with particular experience of mental health issues. Our meetings are open to all MPs, Peers and representatives of organisations with an interest in Mental Health. The APPGMH commissions reports on topical issues to raise the profile of mental health. Click the following link for an example of a recent report "Mental Health in Parliament".
The group is supported by a number of organisation including Mental Health advocacy groups such as Mind and Rethink as well as professional bodies such as the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
What is an All Party Parliamentary Group?
All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal committees within the Houses of Parliament and have a membership of Parliamentarians from both Houses – the Commons and the Lords. They cover a range of subjects, which are of interest to Members from all parties. APPGs vary in size and the activities they are involved in. They allow Members to work constructively with others from opposing political parties on issues of common interest.
An APPG will hold several meetings a year in order to raise awareness of its interest / subject. The meetings are an opportunity for backbench MPs to make their views known to the relevant Minister who will often be asked to address the committee as a guest speaker. APPGs publish reports and hold inquiries into their topics and while these do not have any official power as such, they provide a tool for communicating concerns to official Governmental Select Committees.
The groups are often supported by one or more external organisations with an interest in the APPG’s subject. Groups must be convened with 20 signatures from Members from both Houses and across the political parties at the beginning of a new Parliamentary term (following a general election). They then elect officers to steer the running of the Group and must hold an annual general meeting to confirm or validate officers’ positions. Members of the public cannot join an APPG but are welcome to attend their meetings.