The Down Syndrome Act 2022 is an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

introduced as a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

and sponsored by

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Liam Fox Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, Fox has served as th ...

. It was described as "world leading" by MP

Ian Paisley Jr Ian Richard Kyle Paisley Jr (born 12 December 1966) is a British unionist politician. He is a member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Antrim since the 2010 general election. Previ ...

and is intended to make legal provisions for people living with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. It was introduced by Baroness Hollins in the House of Lords.

Background

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, it is estimated that there are 40,000 people living with the condition. The bill recognises people with Downs syndrome as a specific minority group, and ensures their specific

social care Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

needs are met. It is the first such legislation in the world.

Support

The bill was supported by the Conservative Disability Group, Down's Syndrome Policy Group and actor Tommy Jessop. The bill had the following cross-party co-sponsors in the House of Commons:

Ben Lake Ben Morgan Lake (born 22 January 1993) is a Plaid Cymru politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ceredigion since 2017. Background Lake was born and brought up in Lampeter, the son of a police officer and a council worker. He at ...

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First ...

Lisa Cameron Lisa Cameron (born 8 April 1972) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and consultant clinical psychologist. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow since winning the seat at the 2015 ...

, Mark Logan, Nick Fletcher,

Layla Moran Layla Michelle Moran (; born 12 September 1982) is a British Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development since 2020, and serving as the Member of Parliament for Oxf ...

, Darren Jones, James Daly,

Flick Drummond Felicia Jane "Flick" Beatrix Drummond (born 16 June 1962) is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Meon Valley since 2019, having previously represented Portsmouth South from 2015 to 2017. Poli ...

and

Elliot Colburn Elliot Haydn George Colburn (born 6 August 1992) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carshalton and Wallington since the 2019 general election. Colburn also served as councillor for the Che ...

Passage

On 26 November 2021, it was debated at

Second Reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

. On 22 March 2022, an event was held at Parliament to celebrate the government announcing their support for the bill. The Act received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022.

External links

* At the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

website

References

{{Reflist Social care in England Down syndrome Children's rights in the United Kingdom United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2022 2022 in British law