1.These explanatory notes relate to the Mental Health (Approval Functions) Act 2012 which received Royal Assent on 31 October 2012. They have been prepared by the Department of Health in order to assist the reader of the Act and to inform debate on it. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament.
2.The notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act. They are not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Act. So where a section or part of a section does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.