.
The section 49 Pilot Practice Direction has been published to come into effect in June 2016 (but unlike the Case Management Pilot Practice Direction, published for information only). The Practice Direction applies both to orders made under s.49 MCA by the COP of its own motion and – more importantly – to orders sought by parties. The Practice Direction is accompanied by a draft order. It recognises, in essence, that s.49 reports are an extremely important part of the COP’s armoury when it comes to information gathering, but that they must be deployed:
Carefully, so as to ensure that they are targeted to public bodies actually able to provide useful information;
With suitable thought and preparation on the basis that, to be effective, they are best approached as if they were expert reports.
An important innovation is the requirement, where possible, for a party seeking a s.49 report from a NHS body or local authority to have made contact prior to the application being heard by the court to identify an appropriate person (“a senior officer”) able to receive the order, and to have discussed with the body the reasonableness and time scales for providing the report. Although it does not prescribe when a court will and will not order one, the Practice Direction set out (at paragraph 3) common factors that the court may consider when deciding whether to order a s.49 report, including:
where P objects to the substantive application or wishes to be heard by the court and does not qualify for legal aid;
where it has not been possible to appoint a litigation friend or [under the new numbering] rule 1.2 representative, including where the court has made a direction under rule 1.2(5);
where a party is a litigant in person and does not qualify for legal aid;
where the public body has recent knowledge of P; or it is reasonably expected that they have recent knowledge of P; or should have knowledge due to their statutory responsibilities under housing, social and/or health care legislation;
the role of the public body is likely to be relevant to the decisions which the court will be asked to make;
the application relates to an attorney or deputy and involves the exercise of the functions of the Public Guardian; and
evidence before the court does not adequately confirm the position regarding P’s capacity or where it is borderline; or if information is required to inform any best interests decision to be made in relation to P by the court.
An unofficial draft version of the template s.49 order in Word form is to be found
here.
[Note: a version of this originally appeared in the March 2016 39 Essex Chambers
Mental Capacity Law Newsletter. Alex as a member of the ad hoc Rules Committee has been involved in developing the Pilot. This note does not, however, represent an official comment on behalf of the Rules Committee.]