{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-care-and-treatment-scotland-act-2003/section-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-care-and-treatment-scotland-act-2003/section-3.json",
  "legislation": "asp/2003/13",
  "legislation_title": "Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/mental-health-care-and-treatment-scotland-act-2003",
  "path": "section/3",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Equal opportunities",
  "text": "(1) Subsection (2) below applies whenever a person mentioned in subsection (3) below is discharging a function by virtue of this Act.\n(2) The person shall discharge the function in a manner that encourages equal opportunities and in particular the observance of the equal opportunity requirements.\n(3) The persons referred to in subsection (1) above are—\n(a) the Scottish Ministers;\n(b) the Commission;\n(c) a local authority;\n(d) a Health Board;\n(e) a Special Health Board;\n(f) a National Health Service trust;\n(fa) (as respects its health service functions only) Healthcare Improvement Scotland;\n(g) the managers of a hospital;\n(h) a mental health officer;\n(i) a patient’s responsible medical officer;\n(j) a medical practitioner; and\n(k) a nurse.\n(4) In this section “equal opportunities” and “equal opportunity requirements” have the same meanings as in Section L2 of Part II of Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46).",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "S. 3(3)(fa) inserted (1.4.2011) by The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2011 (S.S.I. 2011/211), art. 1, sch. 2 para. 8(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 3 in force at 5.10.2005 by S.S.I. 2005/161, art. 3 (as substituted (1.7.2005) by S.S.I. 2005/375, art. 2 and as amended (22.9.2005) by S.S.I. 2005/459, art. 2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "repealed",
      "affecting": "asp/2004/7",
      "affecting_title": "National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004"
    },
    {
      "type": "repealed",
      "affecting": "asp/2004/7",
      "affecting_title": "National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2003/13/section/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T20:16:46.625109+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."
}