Mental Health Act 1959
1959 c. 72
An Act to repeal the Lunacy and Mental Treatment Acts 1890 to 1930, and the Mental Deficiency Acts 1913 to 1938, and to make fresh provision with respect to the treatment and care of mentally disordered persons and with respect to their property and affairs; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
[29th July 1959]
Part I Preliminary
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1—5. 

Part II Local Authority Services
 General Provisions
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6, 7. 

 Functions of welfare authorities.
8 

(1) 
For the purposes of subsection (8) of section twenty-one of the 

National Assistance Act 1948 (which restricts the duties of local authorities in respect of the provision of accommodation under that section by reference to the provision authorised or required to be made under other enactments) no account shall be taken of the provision authorised or required to be made by 

local social services authorities

 under 

paragraph 2 of Schedule 8 to the 

National Health Service Act 1977

, with respect to residential accommodation for persons who are or have been suffering from mental disorder.

(2) The persons referred to in subsection (1) of section twenty-nine of the said Act of 1948 (which section enables local authorities to make arrangements for promoting the welfare of blind persons and other disabled persons described in the said subsection (1)) shall include mentally disordered persons of any description; and for the purposes of subsection (6) of that section (which, among other things, excludes from that section the provision of accommodation or services required to be provided under the National Health Service Act 1946), no account shall be taken of the provisions of Schedule 20 to the National Health Service Act 2006 or Schedule 15 to the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006, with respect to the provision of accommodation or services for such persons.
(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4) Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a local authority to make provision for the same purposes both under . . .  Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 and under Schedule 20 to the National Health Service Act 2006 or Schedule 15 to the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006.
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9 

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10 

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11—13. 

Part III Mental Nursing Homes, Residential Homes, etc.
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14—18. 

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19—21. 

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22 


23 

(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
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24 

Part IV Compulsory Admission to Hospital and Guardianship
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25—35. 

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36 

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37—43. 

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44 

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45—59. 

Part V Admission of Patients Concerned in Criminal Proceedings, etc., and Transfer of Patients under Sentence
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60 

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61 

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62—68. 

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69 

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70—76. 

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77, 78. 

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79 

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80 

Part VI Removal and Return of Patients within United Kingdom, etc.
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81 

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82—84. 

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85 

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87 

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89, 90. 

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91 

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92—96. 

Part VII Special Hospitals
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97, 98. 

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99 

Part VIII Management of Property and Affairs of Patients
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100—119. 

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120 

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121 

Part IX Miscellaneous and General
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122—124. 

 Offences
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125, 126. 

 Amendment of Sexual Offences Act, 1956. 
127 
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Sexual intercourse with patients.
128 
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129, 130. 

Prosecutions by local authorities.
131 

(1) A local social services authority may institute proceedings for any offence under this Part of this Act, but without prejudice to any provision of this Part of this Act requiring the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for the institution of such proceedings.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 Miscellaneous provisions
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132, 133. 

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134 

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135—138. 

 Supplemental
139—141. 
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 Default powers of Minister.
142 

(1) Where the Minister is of opinion, on complaint or otherwise, that a local social services authority have failed to carry out functions conferred or imposed on the authority by or under this Act or have in carrying out those functions failed to comply with any regulations relating thereto, he may after such inquiry as he thinks fit make an order declaring the authority to be in default.
(2) Section 68(4) of the National Health Service Act 2006, and section 28(4) of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 (which relate to orders declaring, among others, a local authority to be in default under that Act) shall apply in relation to an order under this section as they apply in relation to an order under that section.
 Inquiries. 
143 
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 Expenses.
144 

(1) There shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament—
(a) any expenses incurred by the Minister or a Secretary of State under this Act;
(b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(c) any increase attributable to this Act in the sums payable out of moneys provided by Parliament under any other enactment.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 General provisions as to regulations, orders and rules.
145 

(1) Any power of the Minister ... to make regulations, orders or rules under this Act shall be exercisable by statutory instrument.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
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146 

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147, 148. 

 Minor and consequential amendments and repeals.
149 

(1) The enactments described in the first column of the Seventh Schedule to this Act shall have effect subject to the amendments specified in the second column of that Schedule, being minor amendments and amendments consequential on the foregoing provisions of this Act.
(2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(3)—(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
 Application to Scotland.
150 
The following provisions of this Act shall extend to Scotland, that is to say—
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 section one hundred and forty-five so far as applicable to any Order in Council extending to Scotland;
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 Part II of the Seventh Schedule;
 Part II of the Eighth Schedule;but except as aforesaid, and except so far as it relates to the interpretation or commencement of the said provisions, this Act shall not extend to Scotland.
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151 

 Application to Northern Ireland.
152 
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153 

 Short title and application to Scilly Isles.
154 

(1) This Act may be cited as the Mental Health Act 1959.
(2) Section 278(4) of the National Health Service Act 2006 (which provides for the application of that Act to the Isles of Scilly) shall have effect as if the references to that Act included references to this Act.
 SCHEDULES
FIRST SCHEDULE
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SECOND SCHEDULE
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THIRD SCHEDULE
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FOURTH SCHEDULE
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FIFTH SCHEDULE
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SIXTH SCHEDULE
 Transitional Provisions
Section 148.
Part I
1, 2. 
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Part II
3—6. 
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Part III Provisions relating to Parts IV and V
7—14. 
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 Transferred patients
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(1)—(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
(4) Section eighty-four of this Act shall apply to a transferred patient who having been a state mental patient in Scotland was immediately before the commencement of this Act liable to be detained in a hospital in England and Wales by virtue of subsection (3) of section sixty-three of the Criminal Justice Act 1948, or subsection (2) of section sixty-four of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1949, as if he had been removed to such a hospital from Scotland in pursuance of an order under the said subsection (2); and where he is treated by virtue of the said section eighty-four as if he had been removed to a hospital in pursuance of a transfer direction, he shall also be treated as if a direction restricting his discharge had been given as aforesaid.
(5),(6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
16—23. 
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Part IV
24—28. 
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Seventh Schedule
 MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS
Sections 149, 150, 152.
Part I
 AMENDMENTS EXTENDING TO ENGLAND AND WALES ONLY


Enactment Amendment
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The Colonial Prisoners Removal Act, 1884, 47 & 48 Vict. c. 31. 
In section ten, after subsection (2), there shall be added the following subsection—“
(3) Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions of this section, where a criminal lunatic is removed to England and Wales, then—
(a) except where he is a criminal lunatic by virtue of having been convicted of an offence and afterwards certified or otherwise lawfully proved to be insane, the Secretary of State may give the like direction in respect of him under section seventy-one of the Mental Health Act, 1959, as may be given in the case of a person to whom that section applies;
(b) in the said excepted case, the Secretary of State may give the like direction in respect of him under section seventy-two of that Act (with or without a direction under section seventy-four thereof) as may be given in the case of a person serving a sentence of imprisonment with respect to whom the Secretary of State is satisfied as mentioned in subsection (1) of that section”

Enactment Amendment
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The Settled Land Act, 1925, 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 18. In section sixty-eight, in subsection (3), for the words “a lunatic, or a defective” there shall be substituted the words “suffering from mental disorder”.
The Trustee Act, 1925, 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 19. 
In section thirty-six, the following subsection shall be substituted for subsection (9)—“
(9) Where a trustee is incapable, by reason of mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act, 1959, of exercising his functions as trustee and is also entitled in possession to some beneficial interest in the trust property, no appointment of a new trustee in his place shall be made by virtue of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section unless leave to make the appointment has been given by the authority having jurisdiction under Part VIII of the Mental Health Act, 1959”

Enactment Amendment
 In section forty-one, in subsection (1), for the words “a lunatic or a defective” there shall be substituted the words “incapable, by reason of mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act, 1959, of exercising his functions a s trustee”.
 
The following section shall be substituted for section fifty-four—“
 Jurisdiction in regard to mental patients.
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(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the authority having jurisdiction under Part VIII of the Mental Health Act, 1959, shall not have power to make any order, or give any direction or authority, in relation to a patient who is a trustee if the High Court has power under this Act to make an order to the like effect.
(2) Where a patient is a trustee and a receiver appointed by the said authority is acting for him or an application for the appointment of a receiver has been made but not determined, then, except as respects a trust which is subject to an order for administration made by the High Court, the said authority shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court in relation to—
(a) mortgaged property of which the patient has become a trustee merely by reason of the mortgage having been paid off;
(b) matters consequent on the making of provision by the said authority for the exercise of a power of appointing trustees or retiring from a trust;
(c) matters consequent on the making of provision by the said authority for the carrying out of any contract entered into by the patient;
(d) property to some interest in which the patient is beneficially entitled but which, or some interest in which, is held by the patient under an express, implied or constructive trust.
The Lord Chancellor may make rules with respect to the exercise of the jurisdiction referred to in this subsection.
(3) In this section “patient” means a patient as defined by section one hundred and one of the Mental Health Act, 1959, or a person as to whom powers are exercisable and have been exercised under section one hundred and four of that Act.”

Enactment Amendment
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The Law of Property Act, 1925, 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 20. 
The following section shall be substituted for section twenty-two—“
 Conveyances on behalf of persons suffering from mental disorder and as to land held by them on trust for sale.
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(1) Where a legal estate in land (whether settled or not) is vested in a person suffering from mental disorder, either solely or jointly with any other person or persons, his receiver or (if no receiver is acting for him) any person authorised in that behalf shall, under an order of the authority having jurisdiction under Part VIII of the Mental Health Act, 1959, or of the court, or under any Statutory power, make or concur in making all requisite dispositions for conveying or creating a legal estate in his name and on his behalf.
(2) If land held on trust for sale is vested, either solely or jointly with any other person or persons, in a person who is incapable, by reason of mental disorder, of excercising his functions as trustee, a new trustee shall be appointed in the place of that person, or he shall be otherwise discharged from the trust, before the legal estate is dealt with under the trust for sale or under the powers vested in the trustees for sale.”

Enactment Amendment
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Enactment Amendment
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The Administration of Estates Act, 1925, 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c.23. In section forty-one, in subsection (1), in paragaph (ii) of the proviso, for the words “a lunatic or defective” there shall be substituted the words “is incapable, by reason of mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act, 1959, of managing and administering his property and affairs” and the word “committee” shall be omitted, and in paragraph (iv) of the proviso, for the words from “committee” to “appointed” there shall be substituted the words “receiver is acting for a person suffering from mental disorder”, and for the words “lunatic or defective” in the second place where they occur there shall be substituted the words “said person”.
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The Sexual Offences Act,1956, 4 & 5 Eliz. 2. c. 69. In the Second Schedule, in paragraph 1, in the fourth column, for the words “an idiot or imbecile” there shall be substituted the words “a defective”; in paragraph 11 in the first column, for the words “idiot or imbeclie” there shall be substituted the word “defective”; and in paragraph 14, in the fourth column, for the words “an idiot or imbecile” there shall be substituted the words “a defective”.
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PART II OTHER AMENDMENTS
Enactment Amendments
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EIGHTH SCHEDULE

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