Mr. Procterasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) in what way the consent of a person aged under 15 years of age is obtained when a psychosurgical operation takes place under section 57 of the Mental Health Act 1983; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many psychosurgical operations have taken place under the provisions of section 57 of the Mental Health Act 1983; in how many cases where the patient's consent has been obtained a second opinion consent has been withheld; how many of these patients were under 15 years of age; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyTen psychosurgical operations took place under section 57 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in 1984 and 21 in 1985. Figures are not available centrally for the period from the date of commencement of the Act—30 September 1983 — to 31 December 1983, or for 1986. Second opinion consent was withheld in a further seven cases, and no operations have been carried out on children under 15 years of age. Section 57 of the Mental Health Act 1983 requires that such operations can be performed only with the informed consent of the patient and the agreement of a second opinion doctor appointed for the purpose. Before agreeing to an operation, the second opinion doctor has to be satisfied that the patient's consent is valid and has to consult two other persons professionally concerned with the patient's medical treatment. The appointment of medical practitioners for the purposes of the consent to treatment provisions of the Act is carried out on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State by the Mental Health Act Commission, which monitors the operation of those provisions. I refer my hon. Friend to para 11.7 of the Commission's first biennial report [House of Commons Paper 586, published 22 October 1985], a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many psychosurgical operations took place 416W in each of the last 10 years; how many took place on children under 15 years of age; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe number of such operations performed in National Health Service hospitals in England between 1979 and 1985 is given in the table. Information for earlier years is not available centrally. Information on the ages of people undergoing such operations is not available for the years 1979 and 1980, but none of the operations performed from 1981 to 1985 were on children under 15 years of age.
Year Number 1979 66 1980 62 1981 58 1982 38 1983 37 1984 10 1985 21