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27
CHAPTER III.
Eleventh Report of the London County Council to the Board of Control.
(This chapter contains the report in respect of the year ended 31st December, 1928,
which the Council is required to make by No. 28 of the Mental Deficiency Act
Provisional Regulations, 1914.)
Administrative arrangements.
1. The Council's administrative arrangements for the discharge of its duties
under the Mental Deficiency Acts, through the Mental Hospitals Committee,
remain as described in previous reports (see Annual Reports for 1915-19, Vol. II.,
p. 29, and 1920, Vol. II., p. 17).
Committee
and Subcommittees.
2. During 1928, meetings of the Mental Hospitals Committee and of subcommittees
wholly concerned with work under the Mental Deficiency Acts have beer
as follow:—Committee, 11; managing sub-committees of certified institutions for
the mentally defective, 59; Mental Deficiency Acts Sub-Committee, 10; Cases
Section, 18; sub-committees specially appointed to visit institutions at which
London cases are maintained under contract (see paragraph 46, post), 26.
Meetings.
Staff.
3. The administrative and executive work under the Mental Deficiency Acts
continues to be undertaken in the Mental Hospitals department and the Public Health
department in accordance with the scheme detailed in the first annual report (set
Annual Report for 1914, Vol. II., p. 280). The collection of contributions towards
the Council's expenses of maintaining defectives in institutions, or under guardianship
(and, in some instances, towards the Board of Control's expenses of maintaining
defectives in State institutions for defectives of dangerous or violent propensities)
is undertaken in the department of the Comptroller of the Council, and when it is
necessary to enforce payment of arrears of such contributions, the Solicitor takes
appropriate action. (For particulars as to collection of contributions and as to the
result of legal proceedings taken to recover payment from persons liable to contribute,
see paragraphs 84 and 85. post.)
Departmental
arrangements.
4. On 31st December, 1928, the staff authorised for employment in the Mental
Hospitals department entirely upon work connected with the administration of
the Mental Deficiency Acts was:—1 principal assistant (temporary rank); 1 senior
assistant (temporary rank); 2 assistants, first class; 3 assistants, second class;
5 assistants, general grade; 1 record assistant; 2 enquiry officers (non-pensionable).
In the Public Health department at the same date 3 women inspectors were employed
entirely for the work under the Acts.
Staff
employed for
central
administration.
Mental Deficiency Act, 1927.
5. In the Annual Report for 1927 (Vol. II., p. 40) reference was made to the
passing of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927, and to certain provisions in the Bill as
introduced in the House of Commons, concerning which representations had been
made on the Council's behalf with a view to amendment.
New Act.
6. In the following paragraphs (7 to 12) the more important sections of the
Act are briefly discussed.
7. Section 1 revises the definition of defectives contained in the corresponding
section of the principal Act of 1913. The two main changes in the definitions are:
(i) that mental defectiveness is, for the first time, defined (it now means "a condition
of arrested or incomplete development of mind existing before the age of eighteen
years, whether arising from inherent causes or induced by disease or injury"); and
(ii) that for the term "moral imbeciles "the term" moral defectives" has been
substituted, with a definition of the new term, which is declared to include
"persons in whose case there exists mental defectiveness coupled with strongly
New
definition of
defectives.