Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act was published in July 2021. The Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Mental Health’s Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report on the General Scheme was published on 12 October 2022.

Priority drafting for the Mental Health Bill was sought and granted for the Spring/Summer legislative sessions this year and officials in my Department are working intensively with the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to progress the final text of this complex, lengthy Bill.

The publication of the Mental Health Bill is a priority for me and for the Government and I look forward to introducing the Bill to the Oireachtas as soon as possible following publication of the Bill.

The new Bill will overhaul our mental health legislation making it more person-centred and human rights focused and help to put in place a more robust framework in which mental health services can be delivered.