Mary Henry (Independent)

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 4, subsection (1), line 27, after "may" to insert ", on the advice of the Inspector of Mental Health Services".

This is an easy one. I am delighted to see that the Minister for Health and Children will be consulted, but we should not expect him to know exactly how things stand in the various mental hospitals of the country. It would be a good idea to allow him to rely on his Inspector of Mental Health Services.

One thing that worries me about the Bill is that it is written as though people think there are still locked wards in many hospitals, which is not the case. There are very few locked wards that would be secure enough to keep inside the sort of person the Minister described. These people would have to be sent to the Central Mental Hospital. However, if somebody was not dangerous the Inspector of Mental Health Services would be in a position to give the Minister advice. For example, it is always wise, whether a person is a prisoner or a patient, to try to keep him in a location near his home and family because one hopes that at some stage he may be allowed out of detention. It would be useful for the Minister for Health and Children to be able to have the advice of the Inspector of Mental Services.