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歡迎收聽「長者法網智多聲」。在香港，處理精神上無行為能力人士的主要法例，是《精神健康條例》。條例界定了精神上無行為能力人士，可以是精神紊亂或弱智，聽起來好像跟大部份人沒有甚麼關係，但想清楚一點，沒有人可以肯定自己會否患上癡呆症（即腦退化症），變成精神上無行為能力。所以，老友記或家人都不妨了解一下《精神健康條例》的內容，看看這條條例，可以為精神上無行為能力人士和家人，提供甚麼協助。
《精神健康條例》授權有關機關作出命令，委任監護人或受託監管人，協助精神上無行為能力人士及照顧他的人。
那麼「監護」和「受託監管」有甚麼分別呢？簡單來說，監護主要是照顧精神上無行為能力人士的福利，照顧他的日常生活。而受託監管就比較著重處理當事人的財務資產，受託監管人無權代表精神上無行為能力人士，同意接受醫療或牙科治療，亦無權決定他住在哪裡。不過，實際上，管理財產事務和護理治療的事，無可能完全分開處理，所以，受託監管人既然有權支付護老院和醫院的費用，間接也可以決定當事人住在哪間護老院或醫院。總括來看，如果精神上無行為能力的人是比較富裕的話，受託監管應該比較適合，但申請的法律程序亦相對複雜，最好還是找律師幫忙。
無論是監護還是受託監管申請，當局都要先確認當事人是否屬於精神上無行為能力，之後再考慮各種因素，才作出命令。而兩種申請都要依照特定的程序進行，詳情可參考長者社區法網文字版。
有效期方面，監護令的有效期，第一次不會超過一年，至於續期或再次續期的監護令，有效期會由續期起計，不超過三年。如果時間緊迫，監護委員會有權作出緊急監護令，這種監護令的有效期不會超過三個月。但受託監管人的命令，就不會訂明固定任期。受託監管人可以獨立行事，但會受到法庭監督，每年要向法庭呈交財產明細表。跟監護令一樣，如果情況緊急，法庭可以委任臨時接管人先接管財產，再等待進行法庭程序。如果想了解更多監護和受託監管，記得到我們的網頁慢慢看了。拜拜。
PrintCommittee for a mentally incapacitated person
When to appoint a Committee?
- As discussed above, a committee appointed under the Mental Health Ordinance (Chapter 136 of the Laws of Hong Kong) is appointed for the primary purpose of “managing and administering…[the] property and affairs” of a mentally incapacitated person. The prime concern is “property and affairs”. In contrast with a guardian, who is allowed to hold, receive or pay a specified sum up to a maximum of HK$20,000 per month, the committee has the wider power to control and manage the property of a mentally incapacitated person, including the transfer, vesting, sale, charging or acquisition of such property, as ordered by the Court.
- A committee, however, does not have the power to authorize or consent to any medical or dental treatment, or make any decision regarding the residence of the mentally incapacitated person. But the management of the property and affairs of a mentally incapacitated person cannot be wholly segregated from the care and treatment of the person. A committee certainly has the power to make payments to elderly homes and to settle hospital bills. Thus, a committee can indirectly decide which elderly home or which hospital a mentally incapacitated person is admitted to.
- Overall, it would be fair to say that a committee is more appropriate for mentally incapacitated persons who are relatively well-off.
Who can be the Committee?
- There is no fixed rule as to who can be members of a committee appointed under the Mental Health Ordinance (Chapter 136 of the Laws of Hong Kong). However, since it is quite obvious that a committee’s work involves handling property (in many cases property of considerable value), and since mentally incapacitated persons cannot look after themselves or their property, the Court exercises due care in appointing the committee.
- The Court usually appoints relatives (plus other necessary members) of the mentally incapacitated person to be on the committee. That is to say, the committee can be a group of persons consisting of relatives and professionals (e.g. an accountant); an accountant would commonly be included in the committee when the estate of the mental incapacitated person is substantive. However, the committee may also comprise only one person, usually a close relative willing to take up the role of the committee.
- In cases where no relative can be located or no relative of the person concerned is willing to take on the role of the committee, the Court will appoint the Official Solicitor as the committee.
(Note: Prior to the appointment of a committee by the Court, it is not yet confirmed that the subject person is mentally incapacitated. The term “person concerned”, instead of “mentally incapacitated person”, would therefore be more appropriate in such circumstances.)