§ 11. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for introducing legislation to amend those Sections of 1471 the Representation of the People Act, 1949, which deal with persons suffering from mental disorder, following the passage of the Mental Health Act, 1959.
§ Mr. VosperThere are arguments for and against the repeal of the provision of which the effect is that a patient in an establishment maintained for the treatment of mental illness or disorder is not regarded as being resident there for the purpose of the franchise. At present, however, my right hon. Friend has no legislation on the subject in view.
§ Mr. RobinsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the present law acts very capriciously and unfairly with regard to voluntary patients? Now that the voluntary patient is superseded by the informal patient under the Mental Health Act, does not the right hon. Gentleman think that, for voting purposes, the time has come to treat the informal patient in exactly the same way as patients in other types of hospitals?
§ Mr. VosperI think there is something in what the hon. Gentleman said. But, despite the greatly enlightened approach to mental health, I think the hon. Gentleman will agree that probably there would be patients who would be embarrassed by having their name on the Register. My right toon. Friend is examining many of these aspects of the Representation of the People Act, and he will have regard to this question.