Scottish Ministers’ duty to keep directions under review
Section 212: duty of Scottish Ministers to keep directions under review
377.Section 212 provides that the Scottish Ministers are under a duty to keep the hospital direction or transfer for treatment direction to which a patient is subject under review by considering the matters set out in subsection (2). The Scottish Ministers are under a duty to revoke if not satisfied that the patient has a mental disorder or where they are satisfied that that is the case but are not satisfied that, as a result of the disorder, it is necessary in order to protect any other person from serious harm, for the patient to be detained in hospital, whether for medical treatment or not, and they are not satisfied that the conditions in section 206(4)(b) and (c) continue to apply.
378.Subsection (5) makes equivalent provision for this section to that made by section 193(10) for that section.
Section 213: reference to Tribunal by Scottish Ministers
379.Section 213 imposes a duty on the Scottish Ministers to refer a patient’s case to the Tribunal 2 years after the making of the hospital direction or transfer for treatment direction if no reference or application has been made to the Tribunal during that period. In addition, at the end of every year thereafter, the Scottish Ministers have a duty to review the previous 2 years and refer the patient’s case to the Tribunal if no reference or application has been made to it during that 2 year period. In order to ensure that the Tribunal reviews the direction to which the patient is subject at least once every 2 years, subsection (3) provides that, in assessing whether there has been an application or reference to the Tribunal in a 2 year period, any reference made under this section during the first year of that period is ignored.
380.Notice of the reference to the Tribunal must be given by the Scottish Ministers to the persons listed in paragraphs (a) to (g) of subsection 210(4) and the reference must state the information set out in section 213(5). This section operates in the same way as section 189.
