{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-capacity-act-northern-ireland-2016/section-251",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-capacity-act-northern-ireland-2016/section-251.json",
  "legislation": "nia/2016/18",
  "legislation_title": "Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-capacity-act-northern-ireland-2016",
  "path": "section/251",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "251",
  "heading": "Interpretation of Part 10: impairment of or disturbance in the functioning of the mind or brain",
  "text": "(1) This section applies for the purposes of interpreting any reference in this Part to an impairment of, or disturbance in the functioning of, a person's mind or brain.\n(2) For those purposes, it does not matter—\n(a) whether the impairment or disturbance is permanent or temporary;\n(b) what the cause of the impairment or disturbance is.\n(3) In particular, it does not matter whether the impairment or disturbance is caused by a disorder or otherwise.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": "prospective",
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2016/18/section/251",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:19:54.781348+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}