§ Baroness FISHER of REDNALasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they would give consideration to amending DHSS Form 7, which registers the main handicap suffered by people, to include visually impaired and hard of hearing as a secondary handicap if applicable.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNENo. Forms 7A and 7B are applications to a local social services authority under the Mental Health Act 1959 for authority to exercise, in relation to a mentally disordered person, the powers of a father over a child under the age of 14. They are 101WA for completion by the nearest relative and mental welfare officer respectively. The presence of a physical handicap can have no bearing on the decision as to whether a mentally disordered person should be subject to compulsory powers under the Mental Health Act.