Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise awareness of the mental health legislation and the revised heads of Bills. On Thursday last, the Mental Health Commission said it would intervene robustly in any areas or approved centres that are not protecting patients' human rights and operating a substandard service. Fines of €5,000 were imposed after the Mental Health Commission took the first prosecution of its kind against the HSE under the Mental Health Act for failures at the psychiatric unit in Kilkenny.

Senator Reilly will remember that for more than a decade St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, was found to be highly unsuitable but nothing was done about it. The mental health inspector has been inspecting approved centres since the early 2000s and has made recommendations but this is the first time the Mental Health Commission prosecuted a psychiatric unit. Perhaps it will now prosecute the HSE for CAMHS in Wexford, where clinicians have to conduct interviews on the care of children in corridors. This is to the detriment of the services being offered.If the Leader could ask the Minister to come to the House to update us on the revised heads of the mental health (amendment) Bill, which has regard to human rights and the provision of proper modern services for patients and which has been in his hands for more than three years, it would be helpful.