PROVISIONS OF BILL

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 13, 18 July 1928, Page 12

PROVISIONS OF BILL

BOARD'S CONSTITUTION The Bill abolished the office of In-spector-General of Mental Defectives, the new title being Director-General of Mental Hospitals. : The term "mentally defective person" is extended to moan one who suffers from mental deficiency associated, wit'i or manifested by anti-social conduct, and who requires supervision for his own protection or in the public interest. These are the people for whom the.new class referred to by . tho Minister has been created. The alternative procedure for the admission of patients to mental hospitals provides that a request may be made to-a superintendent of a mental hospital ■ for the admission of- a person. The superintendent may act on this request provided it is supported by the certificates of two doctors and that a period of seven days after the making of the Request,has not elapsed. Within twen-ty-four * hours after tho patient has lieen received the superintendent must ■ forward a copy of the request and the certificates to a Magistrate, together with a certificate from himself giving his opinion of the case. , Inquiries are then to be made by the Magistrate, and although it shall not be necessary for him--to see the person concerned, he is : given discretion to make or refuse a re-ception-order upon the opinion formed by him after perusal of the medical certificates and tho request of the applicant. •; . , . , 'The board to be set up to supervise mentally defective persons shall consist .of the Director-Genera' of Mental Hospitals, who is to be chairman, the Di- : rector-General of Health, the Director of Education, the Controller-General of Prisons, a medical officer from the Mental Hospitals Department trained and experienced, in psychiatry, aad two • other members, at least one of whom shall be a woman, Tho other is to be appointed on- the: recommendation of a . : social service organisation, one of whose . principal objects is the amelioration of the conditions affecting mentally defective persons. Tho members of- the board other'than those who hold positions by virtue of their office shall remain members for three years. The board is to compile a register of men-

tally defective persons who may bo classed as idiots, imbeciles, feeble-mind-ed, epileptics, or socially defective, and is charged with the duty.of seeing that such persons havo proper supervision. Inquiries aro to be made from time to time with reference to the mental state and circumstances of all persons whose names are submitted to the board for investigation. INFORMATION FROM SCHOOLS. To enable tho register to be compiled th 3 Director of Education is to furnish the names of school children. who he has reason to believe suffer from retarded mental development, or from mental defliciency, mental disorder, or epilepsy; thd names of children whoso educational development is, in comparison with the normal development of children in the same school, retarded to the extent of two years or more; tl:e names of children maintained in special schools under Part 9 of the Act; and the names of all other children of school age who he has reason to believe aro not attending school because of epilepsy or other mental defect. Tho names of prisoners and accused persons believed to be mentally defective are also to be submitted to the board. The Director-General may also submit the aamo of any person whom he thinks should bo on the register, together ■ with particulars of any other person in respect of whom representations have been made from any reputable source. The board is not to enter the name of any person on the register until* proper inquiry has been made to determine into what category the classification should fall. ' Within fourteen days of making its decision the board is tV notify the person concerned, or the parents or guardians, of the result, and an appeal may be lodged within fourteen days after that to a Supreme Court Judge. Application may 'be madi at any time to a Judge for the removal of a person's name from the register, and the board is also empowered to remove names if it deems fit to do so. Names are to be .removed on death or on permanent temoval from New Zealand. The Bill prohibits the marriage of persons registered as mental defectives, and it will be an offence on the part of a parent or guardian not to notify the Eegistrar of Marriages or the officiating minister that the name of either , or both of the parties appears on the register. Any person who committs an offence in respect to this section shall be liable to a fine of £100. The Bill provides for penalties in respect to sexual relations with mentally defective persons, am* parents and guardians will be liable to penalties if such offences occur through their negligent supervision. ■ . ; _ Any person who supplies intoxicating liquor to. a mentally defective person will be liable to a fine of £50. Special institutions may be provided for the segregation of registered defectives, and the board may also authorise the sterilisation of any person, but only upon consent t. this course being given by the person concerned, or the parent or guardian. Societies recognised by the Minister may receive grants from Parliament to enable them to carry out their work of ameliorating the conditions of mentally defective persons.