S.I. No. 149/1954 - Mental Hospitals (Officers and Servants) Order, 1946 (Amendment) Order, 1954.

S.I. No. 149 of 1954.

MENTAL HOSPITALS (OFFICERS AND SERVANTS) ORDER, 1946 (AMENDMENT) ORDER, 1954.

The Minister for Health in exercise of the powers vested in him by the Local Government Act, 1941 , (No. 23 of 1941) and the Mental Treatment Act, 1945 , (No. 19 of 1945) and of all other powers in this behalf enabling him hereby orders and declares as follows :—

1. (1) This Order may be cited as the Mental Hospitals (Officers and Servants) Order, 1946 (Amendment) Order, 1954.

(2) This Order shall be read and construed as one with the Mental Hospitals (Officers and Servants) Order, 1946 (S.R. and O. 1946 No. 203).

2. In this Order the expression "the Principal Order" means the Mental Hospitals (Officers and Servants) Order, 1946.

3. Article 17 of the Principal Order shall be deleted and the following shall be substituted therefor—

" 17. The duties of a chief clerk to a mental hospital authority shall be :—

(1) To be responsible to the mental hospital authority for—

(a) The execution, control and supervision of all secretarial, clerical and accounting duties associated with the administration of the district mental hospital including the direction and supervision of the clerical and accounting staffs;

(b) the keeping of the register of receptions, the register of discharges, removals and deaths, the register of patients, the morning statement book and such other registers and books as he may be required to keep by the Minister or by the mental hospital authority;

(c) the keeping of all accounts of the mental hospital authority (including the account books of the storekeepers, land stewards, foremen, tradesmen, stocktakers and nursing or other staffs) and for the reporting to the mental hospital authority of any irregularities that come to his notice;

(d) the completion of all returns and the submitting of all necessary correspondence to the mental hospital authority and to the Minister;

(e) the keeping of the register of the orders made by the Manager and for the communication, where necessary, of copies of such orders without delay to the authorities and persons concerned;

(f) the collection of moneys due or payable to the mental hospital authority and for the lodgment with the treasurer of all such moneys received by him and for all accounting and clerical work incidental thereto;

(g) the transaction of all business on behalf of the mental hospital authority and in particular for the ordering of all supplies (except supplies of medicine and medical and surgical appliances) and for the exercise of general supervision as regards quality and quantity over the various articles contracted to be supplied to the institutions of the mental hospital authority, and, in case any articles supplied (except supplies of medicine and medical and surgical appliances) are defective in quality or deficient in quantity, for taking such steps as may be necessary to remedy such defect or deficiency, and for reporting the matter to the mental hospital authority.

(2) To submit recommendations in regard to all purchases, sales and other contracts for decision by the Manager.

(3) To certify all bills payable by the mental hospital authority and to present them when certified to the mental hospital authority and to make out advice notes and where the mental hospital authority is a joint board to sign and issue all paying orders.

(4) To attend all meetings of the mental hospital authority and of any committee of that authority, and to keep minutes of the proceedings at such meetings and, where necessary, to communicate decisions at the meetings to the authorities and persons concerned.

(5) To prepare as soon as possible after the 31st of March in each year an abstract of the accounts of the mental hospital authority for the preceding year.

(6) To prepare for submission to the Manager all matters requiring decisions by him in relation to the mental hospital, to record such decisions and to see that they are put into effect as expeditiously as possible.

(7) To submit for the sanction of the Minister all orders or proposals of the mental hospital authority which are subject to the Minister's sanction.

(8) To keep himself completely informed of all Acts and statutory instruments affecting the administration of mental hospitals and to keep the mental hospital authority continuously advised in the discharge of all business regarding the application of such Acts or statutory instruments.

(9) To retain for permanent record all documents relating to the business of the mental hospital authority, including the staff records of its officers and servants.

(10) To discharge such other duties applicable to his office as may from time to time be assigned to him under paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 10 of the Act of 1941, or as may be defined or assigned by a declaration under section 20 of that Act."

4. Article 18 of the Principal Order shall be amended as follows:—

(a) in sub-article (1) thereof the words "mental hospital authority " shall be substituted for the words " person in charge ";

(b) in sub-article (4) thereof the words " chief clerk " shall be substituted for the words " person in charge " and the words " in all matters appertaining to his office " shall be deleted;

(c) in sub-articles (2) and (7) respectively thereof the words "chief clerk" shall be substituted for the words " mental hospital authority ";

(d) in sub-article (9) thereof the words "and subject to the supervision of the chief clerk " shall be inserted after the words " appropriate officer ";

(e) in sub-article (12) thereof the words " to the chief clerk and" shall be inserted after the words "and to report".

5. Article 19 of the Principal Order shall be amended as follows :—

(a) in paragraph (c) of sub-article (12) thereof the words " the chief clerk and " shall be inserted before the words " the person in charge ";

(b) in sub-article (17) thereof the words " through the chief clerk " shall be inserted before the words " to the person in charge";

(c) the following sub-article shall be inserted after sub-article (14) thereof:—

" (14a) To furnish to the chief clerk such information as may be required by him in the exercise of his general responsibility in regard to the administration of the district mental hospital ".

(d) in sub-article (18) thereof the words " or the chief clerk " shall be inserted after the words " person in charge ".

6. Paragraph (c) of Article 13, 5 (3) of the Principal Order shall be amended by the substitution of the word " informing " for the words " getting the permission of " where they occur in the said paragraph.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this twenty-second day of July, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-four.

THOMAS F. O'HIGGINS,

Minister for Health.