Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will be very brief. I do not usually talk about personal matters but I got my wisdom teeth out and I am very sore at the moment. I am here on a listening brief more than anything else. I appreciate the officials coming in. The reason I am here is that I see the importance of the committee getting this kind of grounding in the Mental Health Act. It is very important to get those foundations in place.

I have one question. I welcome the fundamental shift there has been in how we, as a society, see mental health issues now compared with the past.

There was a dark age in the past when people with mental health issues were not treated as well as they should have been. People like that involuntarily being taken out of society seemed to be the norm rather than the exception. We need modern and up-to-date legislation on that. Our briefing note states that the Mental Health Commission will be asked to inspect all mental health facilities. What facilities will that include and what facilities were not being inspected previously?