News

A private members bill amending the law on sex offences against vulnerable adults got its first reading in the House of Lords last week.

The bill, introduced by Mencap president Lord Rix, calls for sex with a person with a severe learning difficulty who is unable to consent to sexual activity to be made a criminal offence, and for the development of a new test to determine a person's capacity to consent to sexual activity.

The bill also states it should be a criminal offence for an individual working in a residential home to have sex with a person with learning difficulties in that care setting.