Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)

With the greatest respect to all those health professionals and to the Minister of State, nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. There may be a presumption of two or three weeks but that presumption may turn out to be false. There may be a presumption of a week that turns out to be false. None of us has the ability to see into the future. I agree with what the Minister of State said earlier on. The number of people who are involuntarily admitted is very low and the number of those who lack capacity is even lower. However, it is my firmly held belief that anybody who is a member of such a minority has a level of vulnerability that is without compare in the general community. That is why we have proposed this definitive timeline as to when an application should be made to the Circuit Court. These people are one of the most vulnerable sections of our community, if not the most vulnerable. They deserve whatever additional protection we can provide through this Bill, specifically with regard to clear timelines.

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