Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 29:

On page 18, line 34, to delete “10 years” and substitute “5 years”.

Section 75 of the Mental Health Act 2001 provided for a review of the operation of the Act to take place five years after the full commencement of that Act. The initial review began in 2011 and eventually led to the formation of an expert group review of the Act. The 165 recommendations of that review form the basis of this Bill.

Considering the comprehensive nature of this Bill and the extensive consultation, the Bill as initiated provided for a review of the operation of this enactment ten years after commencement. I have listened to feedback from stakeholders and have moved this amendment to reduce the period of the review to five years from commencement of the Act. I agree that five years is a more timely timeframe after the enactment of the Bill. I thank all the Deputies for their support on that.

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