Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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A lot of work has gone into this and there are a lot of substantial changes. I like the extension of who is going to police all of this and the extra powers in it. The witnesses spoke about capacity within the Act but we also need capacity within the system to complement the Act. I have not gone through all these amendments, although I have gone through an awful lot of them. The board is being given a lot more power and there are fines so it will push people into a bit of responsibility. I got down to page 193 this morning but I will read it over and over again. In respect of protected disclosures and giving people power within the system, that must be addressed.

If this Government falls within 12 or 24 months, does this work fall as well? That is my biggest fear. It has taken such a long time to get to this and there are a lot of very strong and positive recommendations in it. It is grand to have them all down on paper but it is about how we get the urgency to get them enacted. A Bill can be passed in these Houses but, unfortunately, it can sit on the shelf for a while before anything happens to it. My only concern is how we move it on and get the recommendations in place. At the same time, do we need to do something running parallel to this to complement the services that will be needed because this committee is well aware of it? We talk about improvements in mental health services here yet in my home town, a mental health centre is being closed. Pardon the pun but this is lunacy when we are in the middle of a pandemic. A centre that worked perfectly and never had a case of Covid or a suicide must close because having decided not to put money into it in the past number of years, the HSE is now saying the building is at fault and is trying to move patients out of it. We are here trying to improve mental health services and responsibilities. The Bill talks about the responsibilities of proprietors. I welcome anything positive but my two biggest fears concern whether it moves on swiftly enough to get the Bill enacted. I would be optimistic. The two Ministers support us. Normally, one meets a lot of opposition with the Department of Justice. It is the one that seems to slow down mental health stuff a lot. I would be very anxious to move this on but if something must run in parallel to complement the services, will it be enough? The other point concerns electro-convulsive therapy, ECT. I have not reached it yet but I am worried about it. Must it exist in this country in 2021? However, that is a question for another day.