Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to examine the Bill. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and her officials for their work on this important legislation. We in Fianna Fáil believe in the delivery of fundamental health services to the highest standard through investment, innovation and reform. We support the Bill, which will give effect to recommendations of the expert group review on mental health legislation. The key objectives are to improve the provision of mental health services and to ensure that the autonomy of those using our mental health services will be respected insofar as possible.

Members will be aware that the Mental Health Act 2001 is the key item of legislation currently in place concerning the rights of people involuntarily detained and treated in approved centres within our mental health services. The 2001 Act has provided a robust legal framework since its commencement in 2006 and was forward-thinking legislation. It no longer, however, reflects our approach to mental health services, such as the shift towards community-based services, the adoption of a recovery approach in service delivery and the involvement of service users as partners in their own care. The programme for Government committed to modernising legislation in this area and the publication of this legislation is welcome. I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and her officials in this regard.

As she mentioned, the Bill is extensive and complex legislation. Quite rightly, stakeholders have been consulted over an extended period since 2021. I was encouraged to see the high level of engagement, not least from service users and their families. It is crucial that we listen to service providers and the families of the service users, and ultimately to the service users themselves, to get the feedback and the necessary reforms included in legislation. Many of the provisions of the Bill are welcome, especially the updated criteria for detention and the additional safeguards to protect involuntarily admitted persons.

The Bill also updates language used for people with a mental health illness, which is welcome. It will be important, however, that funding be provided to ensure the implementation of the legislation and, crucially, a smooth roll-out of services.

While I welcome the move away from the Garda making applications, it is critical, too, that the HSE has sufficient resources and personnel available around the clock to deal with crisis situations. That is something we have heard time and again and I know that the Minister of State is well aware of it. She visited my constituency not long ago, where we met service providers, and the need for crisis intervention is crucial. While this change is welcome, it is important that it be well resourced.

It is also particularly important that adequate funding be allocated for the provision of beds in registered mental health centres. Again, a matter that arises regularly in the Chamber relates to the need to ensure we have adequate resources for those.

I pay tribute to the Minister of State for her commitment to mental health, the brief she was given, and for her ongoing work not just on this legislation but in engaging with Members of the House from all parties in her brief of mental health and older persons.

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