Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

I want to make a brief comment on section 92 as a whole. My amendment also was ruled out of order because of a potential charge on the State. I find that any amendment which explicitly refers to a statutory right to advocacy could be ruled out of order will be a very tough pill to swallow for a lot of the advocates, patients and service users.

With respect to Deputy Quaide, amendment No. 204 lays out very clearly what could be a very effective system for those who want and ask for a statutory right to advocacy. I could not let the section pass without saying that this ruling sticks in my craw. My amendment would not have resulted in a cost to the State; rather, it would have involved a transfer of funds into a different part of the system. The amendment did not propose an additional service. Should an amendment to be ruled out of order because of a potential charge, I would like information to be provided as to where that might be and how much it might cost for budgeting reasons, if not any other.

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