Mr. John Farrelly:

I think people should be able to complain after the fact, as the Deputy says. We would probably discuss with the HSE at a national level whether it is conveying how much effort it puts into its complaint process. I know it does and that it has improved significantly. There is not necessarily a reason for this, but sometimes people do not want to complain. Mental health centres can be closed institutions and people can be involuntarily detained, but we have to move away from the culture of being afraid to do things, to being open and honest. Many staff in the mental health system want that to happen and would facilitate that. I do not think that an independent body would be useful or that it would change anything. It would get in the way of improving our services.