Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 19 October 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future of Mental Health Care

Update on the Next Stages of the Review of A Vision for Change: Department of Health

9:00 am

Photo of Mick BarryMick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

While I will ask Mr. Kane in a minute, I wish I had the Minister of State sitting across from me so that I could also ask him a question. After 48 reports, what the hell is going on? We are sitting over here and Mr. Kane is sitting over there with remits that seem to be largely the same. It seems to be messing. If I was a member of a family experiencing a mental health crisis at the moment, I would be asking what the hell is going on here and would be asking very sharp questions of the Minister of State about that.

The point has been made that both committees can work away and we can co-operate. Mr. Kane's committee could come up with a report proposing one direction and our committee might come up with a report proposing a different direction. Where would we be then? It is a mess from what I can see.

Mr. Kane's committee was set up ahead of this committee. What was his initial reaction when he heard about this committee being established? When he looked into it, did he see any significant difference between what he has been charged to do and what we have been charged to do? Does he share the frustration about having two committees with what seems to be a broadly similar remit? A key discussion for this group after the presentation and the question-and-answer session is where we go from here. I will leave those questions on the table for now.

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