HL Deb 21 February 1887 vol 311 cc140-1

(Order for custody of person of lunatic so found to determine unless continued.) B. (1.) The medical attendant of every lunatic so found by inquisition shall, before the expiration of one, three, and six years respectively from the commencement of this Act, and before the expiration of every subsequent period of five years after the expiration of six years from the commencement of this Act, send to the Masters in Lunacy a report as to the mental and bodily condition of the patient, with a certificate under his hand certifying that the patient is still of unsound mind and a proper person to be detained under care and treatment. (2.) If, before the expiration of any of the periods herein-before mentioned, such report and certificate is not sent to the Masters, the order for the commitment of the person of the lunatic as to whom such report and certificate is not sent shall determine at the expiration of such period; but nothing herein contained shall affect the commitment of the estate. (3.) A Master in Lunacy may, by order under his hand, extend the time within which any report and certificate under this section is to be sent to the Masters, and if the time is so extended, the order for commitment of the person of the lunatic as to whom the time is so extended shall continue in force until the expiration of the extended time, but such extended time shall not exceed six calendar months. (4.) Where any order for commitment of the person of a lunatic has determined under this section, the Masters in Lunacy shall forthwith give notice of such determination to the committee of the person of the lunatic and to the person under whose care the lunatic is.

Clauses 40 and 41 severally agreed to.

Clauses 42 (Restrictions on new licences).

Amendment moved, to insert the following subsection after Subsection 3:— If there be joint licensees who desire to carry on business apart from one another, and if, in the opinion of the commissioners or of the justices as the case may be, the establishment conducted by them jointly, and also any new establishment which any of them desires to conduct, answers the conditions herein-before required for granting renewed licenses, the commissioners or justices, as the case may be, may grant to each of such licensees renewed licenses for such number of patients (not exceeding in the aggregate the number allowed by the joint license) as such joint licensees shall agree."—(The Lord Monkswell.)

LORD HALSBURY

said, he saw no objection to the insertion of the subsection.

The EARL OF SELBORNE

said, that he had turned this matter over in his mind since last year; and, on the understanding that the application of the subsection was not meant to be confined to cases in existence at the time of the passing of the Act, he was not disposed to make any objection to it.

Amendment agreed to; words inserted.

Clause, as amended, agreed to.

Clauses 43 to 50, inclusive, agreed to.

After Clause 50,

On the Motion of The Lord MONKSWELL, the following New Clause was agreed to, and added to the Bill:— When any officer is transferred from one county asylum to another county asylum in the same county, his service in all such asylums shall he counted for the purpose of computing his pension, superannuation allowance, or gratuity for length of service, as if all such asylums had constituted only one asylum.

Remaining clauses agreed to.

Schedules amended, and agreed to.

House resumed, and to be again in Committee on Monday next.