Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Joint Committee On Health

General Scheme of the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Eoin Barry:

I will take that question if that is okay. We are not going to comment on how often that is happening because we do not have that information. This would not be the appropriate forum for it. The least restrictive measure is generally what happens. We are trying to address a tiny minority. The vast majority of times, this measure would never be used. We are suggesting that other measures, which are the ones used in inpatient facilities, are used. It is more about removing it as an option. It is not necessarily that there should be some consequence for professionals who are acting in the best interests of patients. We are saying the legislation should basically prohibit its use among children. As I said, we would not comment on how much it is used but our understanding is that it is very rare anyway.

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