Mr. Eoin Barry:

This legislation is very much focused on the smallest cohorts, which are in the most at-risk group. One of the ways for legislators to look at this when they are considering this legislation in the broader reform of mental health services, is not just as the house being on fire and how does one respond in an emergency. We must also look at how to prevent it happening in the first place. This means ensuring that the correct supports and the best interventions happen earlier in the process, ensuring the person is attending the services, and making sure that they are into the services as quickly as possible.

For example, if there is an emerging disorder, there should not be artificial barriers put in place, like the person having to reach a certain weight threshold. By the time the person reaches that threshold, he or she has restricted his or her diet and done a whole load of things to make himself or herself reduce the weight down to the thresholds. We would say it is about the earlier the intervention happens, so I am concerned this legislation is also considering the preventive piece and dealing with the systemic issues that cause the mental health disorder in the first place. That is a point I wanted to make.