Ms ?ine Flynn:

AsIAm provided a response. In the letter I wrote on 5 July, which is contained in appendix 1, I provided a full list of everyone responded. There were 300 responses in total. We were able to take meaningful learning from that response process and incorporate it into the final version of the draft codes. The codes are agile documents; they are not forever. We can revisit them. We have also supplied a number of scenario or vignette-type resources which will be accessible via the codes for the guidance of interested parties. The codes may well require to be revisited. I expect that they may well be revisited in early course as we learn whether they are fit for purpose. We are satisfied, however, that the consultation process was properly run. It was not at all narrow or superficial. We are happy with the outcome, but we are always willing to hear from stakeholders.

Deputy Cairns had a question about how we engage more broadly with our stakeholders. Again, in the letter to the committee dated 5 July, we provided, in an appendix, an account of all the stakeholders we have engaged with. Up to last week, I have met with approximately 101 different organisations this year. We do see quite a number of the people who are going to be impacted by the Act. Since last year, the Mental Health Commission has conducted a stakeholder initiative whereby we invite experts, by experience, to come to our board meetings. DPOs have been represented at those meetings. Through the good offices of Inclusion Ireland, we did focus group work by means of which representatives of potential future users of our service have been able to look at our processes and our system in order to provide useful feedback, especially in the context of accessibility issues. We constituted a stakeholder forum, the membership of which comprises the Independent Living Movement Ireland, Mental Health Reform, Down Syndrome Ireland, Inclusion Ireland, AsIAm, the National Platform for Self-Advocates, the Irish Deaf Society and the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. This forum has been helping us to provide expert consultative input on the public information campaign, which will be launched shortly, our public digital portal, the development of policy, the provision of information in suitable formats and the overall delivery of our service. Our door is open. We are always willing to hear from people who stand to benefit from the Act and to take good learning from them as to how we can improve our accessibility and how we can ensure an inclusive approach.

Deputy Cairns asked other questions. I apologise. Am I taking too much time?