Ms Kate Mitchell:

One of the key issues is that mental health community residences are not currently regulated, and Mr. Rogan explained the historical context to that. The reason that practice continues is that there is a flaw in current mental health legislation that allows the non-regulation of those residences. Mental Health Reform has been campaigning for years for the urgent reform of Ireland's mental health legislation to ensure it is updated in full so that, if and when people go into hospital for mental health care and treatment, their rights are adequately protected. However, reform of that legislation will also address that existing flaw and extend the powers of the Mental Health Commission so it can regulate those community residences across the country.

As my colleague mentioned, there are concerns about the practices in some of those residences that make their regulation even more imperative. These practices have been well reported by the commission.