Mr. Gary Kiernan:

From the point of view of the Mental Health Commission, Dr, Maskey's report, and subsequently Dr. Susan Finnerty's report from the commission, highlight the need for the urgent regulation of community mental health services, including CAMHS. We welcome the progression of this through the Bill. We welcome the additional enforcement tools that are provided for in the Bill, which include important gatekeeping functions, such as the requirement for all registered persons and responsible persons to be approved by the Mental Health Commission before they can participate in the governance and management of those services. We think that all of those additional powers of registration, inspection and monitoring would greatly address many of the recommendations from both of those reports and improve the safety of the services.