TNAG-1733-FCO40-2446-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 126

SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE IN THE LEGISLATIVÉ COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY,22 JUNE 1988

Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 1987

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE.

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First of all, I would like to thank Mrs. Rosanna Tam and

the other members of the Ad Hoc group for the great deal of

hard work which they have put into the examination of this

important Bill. We have had a series of very productive meetings with the Ad Hoc Group and I am sure that as a result

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of its work, the Bill has been considerably improved.

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Several Members have referred to the controversial

nature of this Bill. This is undoubtedly and in my view,

inevitably true. The Mental Health Ordinance provides for the

placing of restrictions on the freedom of movement of

unfortunate people who suffer from various forms of mental

disorder; these restrictions are necessary in the interests of

the patients themselves, and in some cases of the community as

a whole. Such legislation, therefore, represents a compromise

between the need to restrict the activities of such people and

the need to respect their ciyil liberties. Views differ on the

nature of this compromise and much of our discussion with the

le a poc group has been concerned with arriving at a satisfactory

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solution to various problems this area I believe that the