Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State dealt with this point in her contribution on a previous amendment in which she spoke of the work to take place in the immediate future with the Mental Health Commission. The language she used was interesting because it gives the House an opportunity to look at her ambition for the overall role of the Mental Health Commission and to build this aspect of legislation into its remit. I welcome that the work will take place in the immediate future and I hope it will give us an opportunity in the House to talk about the role of the commission and its capacity to fulfil the spirit of the provisions of the legislation. The Mental Health Commission is an appropriate location because it is a location where the correct language is used and where professionals within the sector play an important role. Therefore, it is probably the location best suited to fulfil the spirit of the legislation. Will the Minister of State explain what she meant when she said work has to take place? Work has to take place in general on the Mental Health Commission and its role. Such work will provide the House with an opportunity to underpin the required confidence that the spirit of the legislation will be upheld to its utmost.

See this speech in context