Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I agree with other speakers and will not repeat what they said. The Bill is important and I am glad it is being introduced by Senator Boyle. I congratulate the Minister of State on her appointment and welcome her to the House. I would like to hear her comments on the various issues raised. This is a particularly interesting Bill for the Seanad to deal with as it has received cross-party support. The Seanad is good at introducing such measures.

I personally believe electroconvulsive therapy is absolutely barbaric and that it is time we got rid of it completely. However, I accept the premise of the Bill, which is that at this stage we should abolish involuntary or forced administration of ECT specifically. This is a good Bill and I will join my colleague in opposing the section under discussion.