Focus: The whole concept of locking people up at a whim is appalling ... the Bill is flawed

Experts, doctors, lawyers and activists have all backed our campaign to make ministers think again. Here they celebrate a significant victory and explain why it is now more important than ever to go on fighting

Stephanie Cole, actress and patron of the charity Rethink which helps people with severe mental illness

It is outrageous what the Government is doing. Don't give up the campaign; it has been hugely successful and brought up in subtle ways a lot of interesting stuff that needs to be looked at. The Government should talk to people who really know what is going on – not just those who have got OBEs, but people who are working in the field.

Charles Kaye, former head of the Special Hospital Authority for Broadmoor, Rampton and Ashworth

It is indefensible for the Government to detain people who have not committed an offence. It is an ineffective and coarse attitude. I believe the Government will stick to its plans and edge around some areas to give weight to its reforms. Sadly it is the patients, clinicians and managers who are left to work within strict boundaries.

Melvyn Bragg, author, broadcaster and president of the mental health charity Mind

Individual cases differ and there is a minority of extreme cases which need urgent special attention. Compulsory detention for those who have not committed a crime and compulsory drug-taking should be used sparingly.

Tracey Emin, artist, shortlisted for the 1999 Turner Prize, has suffered from depression herself

The Tories fucked up everything by putting the mentally ill on the streets and the Labour government is just the same. People with mental illness shouldn't be lumped together into one category. Each case should be looked at individually.

Sue Baker, author of the Mind Survey 2001

The sad thing is the people who will be most badly affected by the legislation are the service users and they haven't had chance to say anything. It would be nice for the ministers to sit down and listen to what they have to say. It would seem odd that the Bill wasn't in the Queen's Speech for the Government to push it through. Maybe it's the case of Blunkett having lost the argument for the time being and Milburn having won it. We think they want the extra time – they said they wanted to look at the 2,000 responses they received from the Bill in more detail – but they do want mental health reforms to happen. It would be appalling if they blatantly disregard everything after they have said they want to review the Bill and talk to more people about it. I very much hope they have been listening to what we have been saying. The next few months will be very telling.

Lewis Wolpert, Professor of Biology at University College London and author of Malignant Sadness: the anatomy of depression

One in 10 of us suffers from depression at some point – out of 600 MPs, I would like those 60 campaigning for real improvement. Not one of them has the guts to stand up and talk about it. I am disgusted with the Government's proposals. If it hopes to improve the system, further research and support should be given to existing care models. There is no real need for new legislation to section people – I believe it is a deliberate attempt by the Government to detract from the real problems facing mental health workers.

Claire Rayner, broadcaster, agony aunt, and patron of the campaign A Right to Care which demands free nursing and care for all who need it

The whole concept of locking people up at whim is appalling. There are people who need to be locked up or given medication against their will, but when do you say to someone "I'm going to override your wishes"? I agree with parts of the Bill but as a whole it is dreadfully flawed. I hope the Government sends it back and really has a rethink – but will it? I hope they work something out because I would hate to see the whole Bill dropped. We desperately need new mental health legislation.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation since September. Formerly a senior civil servant in the Department of Health, heading up policy on mental health and learning disabilities

The Government's decision to drop the Mental Health Bill from the Queen's Speech is a welcome move. We're very pleased with the unity and commitment shown over recent months by members of the Mental Health Alliance and allies such as The Independent on Sunday.

There is still a great deal of stigma attached to mental illness. One of our most difficult tasks is to ensure the debate about mental health moves away from a "them and us" attitude, as we often see in portrayed in the media. The Independent on Sunday has helped a great deal in humanising the debate, and reminding us that mental health is an issue which affects everyone. We hope that when the Government does present its proposals for reform, they will be designed to bring mental health services for all into the 21st century, and are not born of fear or prejudice.

Professor Arthur Crisp chairs the Royal College of Psychiatry's Changing Minds campaign to de-stigmatise mental illness

I am relieved that the Government is stepping back to rethink the matter – the Bill was public order legislation, not mental health legislation. Custodial matters should be dealt with by the Home Office. Doctors should come into such matters only as consultants.