Dr. Mary Keys:

I thank the committee for inviting us. I am a lecturer in law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and I lecture mainly in the areas of disability law, mental health law and human rights. I have been a member of the Mental Health Commission for five years, and was reappointed again this year to represent the public interest on the commission. I was also involved in another statutory body, the National Disability Authority, and in mental health advisory groups over a six-year period, which ended two years ago. I am involved with community groups and NGOs in disseminating legal information, particularly on disability and mental health law. Examples include my presence on the board of the Brothers of Charity Services in Galway, on the Jigsaw group, which works in the area of youth mental health, and a wide range of other groups that contribute to research interests in NGOs.

I contribute on an ongoing basis to Amnesty. I am a former psychiatric social worker and have front-line experience and have worked with the Traveller community. That has driven my ambition for human rights and equality in the dissemination of information to the people who use services but also for front line staff. I am very aware of the lack of that and how it impacts on the people who are delivering and involved in services to our community.