Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a thabhairt do gach éinne sa Public Gallery, go háirithe daoine ó Mental Health Reform agus an sár-obair atá siad ag deanamh. In the programme for Government, there was a commitment to mental health services under A Vision for Change, which to date has not been delivered or even acted on. Over the years, the State abdicated its duty of care to many sections of our communities. We are very slowly coming to a line whereby we treat all citizens of this nation equally.

This Bill is welcome, as it is a positive improvement on current legislation. However, as usual it does not go far enough. It fails to establish a strong, rights-based approach which should meet the standard set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a convention this House must ratify without delay. It also does not provide for strengthening the rights to advocacy or to assistance in making decisions regarding care, and there is no right to an independent second opinion in the determination of capacity. However, any positive change must be welcomed and the amendment changing the definition of a "voluntary patient" to include only people who have capacity to make their own decisions, with support if required, and who give their consent to admission to hospital is an important distinction.

Despite the changes, especially in this regard, if the Government does not support the work of the health services it will still not be enough. Access to and availability of services locally and in our communities must be resourced properly. The work being done on mental health by voluntary groups and individuals is saving this country money and, more importantly, is saving lives. I commend all those who give their time, energy and commitment. At present, however, there is a huge deficit in our system. Services are not available at weekends or after hours on a week day. A 24-7 crisis intervention service for mental health is needed immediately.

This Bill is only the first step in terms of where the State must update legislation either in line with the report of the expert group on the Mental Health Act or in an effort to meet the standard of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We cannot ignore any longer the need to update our legislation.

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