Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I need to talk about the services and the access to services. I believe that the Minister of State would be surprised if I did not. I have spoken with the Minister of State, Deputy Daly about the Linn Dara day programme and we disagreed publicly over that, so the Minister of State knows my thoughts very well in this regard. I am very vocal at times on the different issues such as the lack of child psychiatry and mental health nurses, along with the 70% of Vision for Change that has not been implemented. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Future of Mental Health Care met for the last time for this report today. It will be launched next week with doable actions to improve the nation's mental health. I hope that we and the Minister of State can talk again over that and see what we can implement with speed and what else needs thoughtful consideration.

The Mental Health Act is being reviewed by the Minister of State's Department and I am aware that the report is due at the end of the year. It is an onerous task because there is a lot there that needs to be overhauled. The Bill lessens that burden on the Department, so I would like a "thank you" from them for that.

I stress that this progressive Bill will put mental health on par with physical health. It will prevent a hearing and a possible ruling from the High Court not if but when a case is taken or a challenge made to this. The Bill respects young people's autonomy and allows them the capacity to decide and consent on the best treatment for them. It also gives them ownership, which is very important in a psychological sense. Ownership is important for all of us because once we take ownership it becomes ours and something for us to do and we are determined for its success. With ownership of this and with young people determining what they need, in conjunction with their treating team it will, in reality, give a much better chance of success of living a happy, contented life instead of being driven by others' needs and others' diktats.

The Bill destigmatises mental health and well-being. It is no longer to be a whispered, dark secret. It acknowledges well-being as part of us all, and that we all at times suffer the jitters or the nerves, or whatever we want to call it. We do not need the stigma; we need to talk to each other about it. That helps to blow the lid on having to hold something very close and not being able to talk about it or make decisions on it.

I thank the Minister of State for being here today and for accepting this Bill. I thank my Sinn Féin colleagues, all the Senators who co-signed the Bill and all the Senators who spoke tonight for their support. I hope to progress the Bill quickly to Committee Stage and I am looking forward to discussing, tweaking and ensuring all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted so it will go through smoothly. I believe the Bill has unanimous support and is needed very soon. It would be lovely to get it through quickly and signed off into legislation. I thank you all and I thank the Minister of State for his input.