Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas as ucht an deis labhairt ar an mBille seo. Cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille atá molta ag Teachta Browne agus tá áthas orm go bhfuil mo phairtí ag tacú leis. The Bill contains significant changes that strengthen the rights of people when they are in hospital for mental health care. It is unfortunate, although perhaps not surprising, that to date only one of the 165 recommendations of the expert group report on the review of the Mental Health Act 2001 has been implemented. Furthermore, the Government has repeatedly failed to meet its timetable for updating the Act and there is no mention of revisions of the Act in the Government’s current legislative programme. In that respect, this Bill falls far short of what is required. My party will propose a number of amendments on Committee Stage to strengthen the rights of patients receiving treatment for mental health issues.

It would be remiss of me, when discussing this important topic, not to mention the complete neglect of mental health services by successive Governments. The wider issue of the provision of adequate resources for mental health treatment has not been prioritised by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. This is evident from the fact that neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael supported our calls for 24-7 crisis intervention services. It is also demonstrated by the fact that Fianna Fáil rejected a motion seeking to provide at least €37.5 million in additional mental health funding in the most recent budget.

Having recently hosted a meeting on mental health services in my constituency of Offaly-North Tipperary, I can inform the House that the lack of these services is strongly felt across our communities. People and families are in absolute despair and do not know where to turn. We must address this. There must be a commitment that the vital resources will be provided so that real change can be implemented once and for all. I hope all parties and Deputies in the House will work together to ensure this happens without further delay.

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