Ms Fiona Coyle:

Mr. Farrelly made a really valid point in that what we hear regularly in every consultation we have with service users and their members is that there is a lack of confidence in the current system and structures that are in place. When we take a step back, we very much advocate for parity of esteem and that mental health needs the same prioritisation and investment that we see in the physical healthcare services and structures, but we must also have to the forefront the fact that there are key differences and those relate to the human rights of individuals. In mental health, under law, people are deprived of their liberty for their own health journey, but that does not happen in a physical healthcare setting. In physical healthcare, people cannot be treated without their consent in the vast majority of cases. For us, that is where the core difference is. When we look at other areas of Irish legislation that can deprive people of their liberty, for example, the powers the Garda Síochána has, there is an independent complaints mechanism because it is viewed as being a core human rights safeguarding that needs to be there. What we also look at is the optional protocol. We have made the point to the Government again and again that it has not been ratified. That is a key option for people who do want to make their voices heard.

I would like to bring in my colleague, Ms Grogan, because what would be most powerful at this juncture is that through our various pieces of research we have heard from people themselves. Perhaps if she would like to come in, she would bring across some of the voices of the service users in this debate.