By amending Tribunal Rules 32 and 35, these rules:
(1) add ‘date of birth’ to the items which an application must, if possible, include;
(2) remove a reference to after-care under supervision;
(3) prescribe information which a reference must, if possible, include;
(4) amend the rules for reports following recall of s37/41 patients (rather than the Secretary of State being required to submit reports within 6 weeks, he must immediately provide details of the RC and social supervisor who are then given 3 weeks to provide reports);
(5) amend the rules for section 2 cases (the responsible authority must now provide the documents specified in the Practice Direction, rather than that which ‘can reasonably be provided in the time available’);
(6) clarify the wording in relation to other cases (explicitly stating that if the responsible authority made the reference then the 3 weeks runs from the date of the reference);
(7) prescribe the information required from the Secretary of State (summary of index offence, record of previous convictions, full details of liability to detention since restrictions were imposed, any further relevant information);
(8) clarify that a case may be struck out without a hearing for want of jurisdiction under r8(3);
(9) allow a s68 CTO reference to be disposed of without a hearing if the patient is 18 or over and either (a) the patient states in writing he does not wish to attend or be represented and the tribunal is satisfied he has the capacity to decide whether or not to make that decision (it is assumed this is intended to mean the capacity to make the decision) or (b) the representative states in writing that the patient does not want to attend or be represented. Worryingly, the consultation response states that the decision on capacity will be based on the responsible clinician’s opinion and the reports.
In force 6/4/12.