Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 21, line 9, after “Act” to insert “and shall carry out an interim review after 2.5 years”.

This is an area that has me very concerned. While five years is some progress, it is not enough. The Government has the opportunity here to put some very real and substantial oversight into the Bill by accepting the Sinn Féin amendment which proposes the carrying out of an interim review after two and a half years. Five years is too long; it needs to be much quicker than that. Without the two-and-a-half-year review, my serious concern is any unintended consequences will not be highlighted quickly enough for us to be able to make meaningful decisions and changes. We could see implementation failures. Reviewing after two and a half years, however, would allow us to ensure those do not become embedded as the norm. It would also highlight emerging issues coming through.

The Bill, when passed, will affect some of the most vulnerable people in our society, many of whom are in crisis, especially those subject to involuntary admission. If legislation has unintended negative consequences, a five-year review may allow significant harm or inequality to persist for too long. A two-and-a-half-year review would ensure earlier accountability and correction where needed. A shorter-term review will allow almost real-time monitoring and course correction during the lifetime of the Act and not just afterwards.

It could improve public trust and give Members of the Oireachtas, the health committee, service users, clinicians, stakeholders and third parties concrete data and feedback to inform ongoing legislative improvements. Including a two and a half year review would bring us in line with international human rights frameworks that demand timely scrutiny of coercive and high-impact legal provisions.

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