Ms Orla Keane:

I suspect that GDPR would be a big issue. I also suspect that if this could be done, people would have to be given the option of whether to disclose the data. Owing to the range of stigmas we are discussing here, whether it is mental health, ethnic minority status or being from the Traveller or LGBT community, people may not want to disclose that data. In the initial stages at least, anonymous surveys could be sent to the people who are selected for jury duty, as well as those who are not selected, and one could work on the basis of the data collected. However, there are probably some basic GDPR issues.

The issue I wanted to raise was training because it is fundamental. I fully endorse what Ms O'Regan said. I expect gardaí receive training on mental health but they probably receive a lot of book training, in other words, they will read what this or that section of a book says, but they are not hearing from people with mental health experience. They could hear from an LGBT person or someone from an ethnic minority who has a mental health issue. We know that fewer people from the Traveller community are involuntarily detained because we have looked at that issue. All of the organisations need to hear from those people and meet representatives of these communities. Unless that is done, they are not going to learn about the issues and if there are fixed attitudes, they are not going to change. Expanded training and hearing from the people involved are key.