Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler welcomed the passage of the Mental Health Bill 2024 through Second Stage in the Dáil, following constructive and positive debate from all sides.
Minister Butler looks forward to further debate and passage of the Bill through the Houses, and the ensuing enactment of the measures in this important Bill, which, along with our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, will provide robust legislative and policy frameworks for our mental health services.
The Waterford Minister stated: "The Mental Health Bill is a really important piece of legislation and has been a key priority of mine since taking office. Endless hours of work and consultation have been undertaken to put in place a more person-centric mental health legislation that will further modernise, reform and protect the rights of people with mental health difficulties in the decades ahead."
The Mental Health Bill 2024 is a complex and lengthy piece of legislation, with 202 sections, and is fundamental to improving the experience for individuals accessing mental health services.
Speaking about the new legislation, Minister Butler added: "Individuals receiving treatment under the Mental Health Bill 2024 will be empowered to play a more active role in making decisions about their care and treatment, and there will be closer alignment between the Mental Health Bill and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts 2015 and 2022.
“Additional safeguards will also be put in place for individuals, such as additional safeguards on the use of restrictive practices, and provisions providing for the involvement of family members or carers in a person’s treatment in cases where the person has given their explicit consent.
"The Bill will also benefit all people who access a wide range of mental health services by introducing, for the first time, a comprehensive system of registration and regulation of community mental health services, including all community CAMHS."
Minister Butler concluded by saying: “I am looking forward to engaging with the Oireachtas Committee on Health at Committee stage to progress the Bill further”.
Pictured: Waterford Minister Mary Butler.
