HC Deb 12 July 1937 vol 326 c881W
Mr. Leckie

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of patients discharged from orders under the Mental Deficiency Acts during the years 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936, respectively, by each of the following authorities: Walsall County Borough, Plymouth County Borough, Oxford County Borough, Ipswich County Borough, Portsmouth County Borough, Bristol County Borough, Darlington County Borough, Buckingham County Borough, Leeds County Borough and Nottingham County Borough?

Sir K. Wood

The power of discharge under the Mental Deficiency Acts is vested in the Board of Control and not in the local authorities. I regret that figures are not available for the years 1932 to 1935, but in 1936 the Board of Control discharged the following patients chargeable to the county borough councils indicated:

Walsall … … … 0
Plymouth … … … 1
Oxford … … … 1
Ipswich … … … 1
Portsmouth … … … 7
Bristol … … … 5
Darlington … … … 0
Leeds … … … 0
Nottingham … … … 2
Total … … … 17

As Buckingham is not a county borough it is not a local authority for the purposes of the Mental Deficiency Acts.