Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am normally very open to these things and I always say I am no great expert on these things nor the holder of all knowledge. However, I genuinely believe that the best place to deal with this is within the Mental Health Act. I understand what the Deputy says about the amended piece of legislation but the recommendations that came from the review group on the Mental Health Act are not little recommendations - they will require substantial drafting. They change how we deal with mental health and how we look at capacity within mental health. With a mental health diagnosis one is automatically assumed not to have capacity but in the new legislation we are saying "No" to that. The amendments will not be simple and a substantial amount of legislation will need to be put in place. I genuinely believe that the Mental Health Act is the place to deal with this.