John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I will be very brief. I found the conversation and the reading material fascinating. I have what I hope will be considered a constructive observation to make on what Mr. Ryan said. His paper was so full of acronyms that I kept getting lost in it. We all do that when we are in the system. I got the thrust of what he was saying.

As someone who had a professional connection with mental health, when ordinary members of the public talk about updating the Mental Health Act, we must be aware that this is the very acute end of the mental health piece. What struck me was that it is no wonder people are reluctant to come forward for fear of stigmatisation given that mental health covers everything from the mild to the seriously acute. I listened to the previous discussions about restraint.

I am aware it is a comfortable place for legislators to comment on this and that there are extreme circumstances. It is like asking the Garda to be physically restrained with prisoners. Sometimes that is regrettably not possible. Our role as legislators is to ensure those occasions when it has to be used are appropriate, humane and person-centred, which is what I liked about the Bill. I ask Mr. Ryan not to take that to heart as it is not a criticism. It is just that as I read through it, I suspected that Mr. Ryan was under pressure to get this done and that he was used to dealing with a particular audience. I found it difficult to follow and I had to read it a few times, and I am reasonably bright. Other than that I have been fascinated by the inputs made.

I have never come across the phrase "experts by experience" before and I really liked it. That would represent such a shift. We traditionally had such experts by experience in the health system who had no qualifications and then we moved towards a qualifications-centred approach, which was appropriate as well. Can Mr. Ryan elaborate on that phrase? We are talking about people who do not necessarily have to have PhDs or master’s degrees but who have been immersed in this in a caring role or in an assisted role?