Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

Termination of direction under section 214

216.—(1) This section applies where a direction is given in respect of a person (“A”) under section 214 (transfer of civil prisoner or immigration detainee to hospital).

(2) The direction (“the hospital transfer direction”) ceases to have effect, if it has not already done so, at the end of the period of liability to detention.

(3) If before the end of that period the Department of Justice receives a relevant notification—

(a) the Department of Justice must by warrant direct that A be removed to any place in which A might (but for the hospital transfer direction) be detained, to be dealt with there as if the hospital transfer direction had not been given; and

(b) the hospital transfer direction ceases to have effect on A’s arrival in that place.

(4) But subsection (3) does not apply if (having received a relevant notification) the Department of Justice directs that with effect from a specified date—

(a) A is to be treated as if he or she had been removed to the hospital under the relevant provision from a place, specified in the direction under this subsection, in which A might (but for the hospital transfer direction) be detained; and

(b) the hospital transfer direction is to cease to have effect.

(5) In this section a “relevant notification” means a written notification by a suitable medical practitioner that—

(a) in the practitioner’s opinion A does not have, or no longer has, the disorder;

(b) in the practitioner’s opinion it is more likely than not that, if A were transferred under subsection (3), no serious physical or psychological harm to A or serious physical harm to other persons would result from A’s ceasing to be provided with treatment for the disorder as an in-patient in hospital; or

(c) in the practitioner’s opinion no effective treatment for the disorder can be given to A in the hospital.

(6) In this section—

“the disorder” means the disorder in respect of which the hospital transfer direction was given;

“the hospital” means the hospital where A is detained;

“the period of liability to detention” means the period during which A would, if the hospital transfer direction had not been given, have been liable to be detained in the place from which A was removed to hospital;

“the relevant provision”—

(a)

in the case of a civil prisoner (as defined by section 214), means section 16(2) of the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953;

(b)

in the case of an immigration detainee (as defined by section 214) means—

(i)

if the place specified in the direction under subsection (4) is a prison, section 16(2) of the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953;

(ii)

otherwise, removal centre rules (within the meaning of Part 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999);

“a suitable medical practitioner” means the responsible medical practitioner or—

(a)

if the disorder was mental disorder, an approved medical practitioner;

(b)

otherwise, any medical practitioner who appears to the Department of Justice to have special experience in the diagnosis or treatment of the disorder.