Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897

47 Cleansing and disinfecting of premises, &c.

(1) Where it appears to the local authority, upon the certificate of the medical officer or any other legally qualified medical practitioner, that the cleansing and disinfecting of any house, or part thereof, and of any articles therein likely to retain infection, or the destruction of such articles, would tend to prevent or check any infectious disease, the local authority may serve notice on the occupier, or where the house or part thereof is unoccupied on the owner, of such house or part thereof that the same and any such articles therein will be cleansed and disinfected, or (as-regards the articles) destroyed, by the local authority, unless the person so notified informs the local authority, within a time to be specified in the notice from the receipt of the said notice, that he will cleanse and disinfect the house or part thereof and any such articles, or destroy such articles, to the satisfaction of the medical officer or of any other legally qualified medical practitioner, as testified by certificate by him, within a time fixed in the notice.

(2) If either—

(a) within the time specified as aforesaid from the receipt of the notice, the person on whom the notice is served does not inform the local authority as aforesaid ; or

(b) having so informed the local authority, he fails to have the house or part thereof and any such articles disinfected, or such articles destroyed, as aforesaid within the time fixed in the notice; or

(c) the occupier or owner, as the case may be, without such notice gives his consent;

the house, or part thereof, and articles, shall be cleansed and disinfected, or such articles destroyed by the officers of, and at the cost of, the local authority.

(3) For the purpose of carrying into effect this section the local authority may enter by day on any premises.

(4) If the local authority deem it necessary to remove from any house or part thereof, or from any tenement of houses, all or any of the residents not being themselves sick, on account of the existence or recent existence therein of infectious disease, or for the purpose of disinfecting such house or part thereof, or such tenement or part thereof, they may make application to a sheriff, magistrate, or justice, and the sheriff, magistrate, or justice, if satisfied of the necessity of such removal, may grant a warrant authorising the local authority to remove such residents, and imposing such conditions as to time and otherwise as to him may seem fit. Provided always that no such warrant shall be necessary when the removal is carried out with the consent of any such resident or his parent or guardian. The local authority shall, and they are hereby empowered, to provide temporary shelter or house accommodation, and, if necessary, maintenance with any necessary attendants, free of charge, for such persons while prevented from returning to such house or part thereof or such tenement or part thereof.

(5) When the local authority have disinfected any house, part of a house, or any article, under the provisions of this section, they shall compensate the occupier or owner of such house, or part of a house, or the owner of such article, for any unnecessary damage thereby caused to such house, part of a house, or article; and when the authority destroy any article under this section they shall reasonably compensate the owner thereof; and the amount of any such compensation shall be recoverable in a summary manner.

For the purpose of this section the word " house " includes any tent or van or any ship lying in any sea, river, harbour, or other water or ex adverso of any place within the limits of the local authority.