Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 12, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “ “Act of 2018” means the Domestic Violence Act 2018;”.

These amendments all relate to references to the Domestic Violence Act 2018. The 2018 Act amended section 9 of the Mental Health Act 2001 to ensure that the definition of "spouse" and "civil partner" in the 2001 Act did not include spouses and civil partners in respect of whom an application for an order or an order has been made under the Domestic Violence Act 2018. These references were omitted from the Mental Health Bill 2024 on publication last year. It was acknowledged at the time of publication that references to the Mental Health Act 2001 in other enactments would need to be amended on Committee Stage. This includes references to the Domestic Violence Act 2018.

Amendment No. 1 inserts a reference to the Domestic Violence Act 2018 in the interpretation section.

Amendment No. 34 inserts a reference to the interpretation section to state that "relevant person" has the meaning assigned to it in section 15.

Amendment No. 44 ensures that the reference to spouse in section 12 does not include a spouse in respect of whom an application for an order or an order has been made under the Domestic Violence Act 2018.

Amendments Nos. 49 and 51 insert the same amendment to the term "spouse" in sections 14 and 15.

Amendment No. 54 ensures that a spouse cannot make an application for involuntary admission where an application for an order or an order has been made in respect of that spouse under the Domestic Violence Act 2018.

I ask Deputies to support the amendments in this grouping to ensure that the appropriate references to the Domestic Violence Act 2018 are included in the Bill.

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