Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-02
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I thank the Senator very much. I want to continue in the spirit he referred to.
I have had this Bill before the Dáil. I spent ten hours on Committee Stage dealing with 349 amendments. There are 300 new amendments here tonight. Some of them relate to issues I could not deal with in the Dáil regarding chemical restraint and ECT. I removed a section because I wanted to get rid of it completely for 16- and 17-year-olds. However, the majority of these amendments come off the back of engaging with the Departments of children and justice. That is where many of the amendments come from. A lot of them align this Bill with existing legislation. I would say that 90% of what has been agreed in the Dáil is reflected in what I am presenting to the House tonight. I have no problem with coming in for the next few weeks to give this as much time as it needs.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-02/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:23+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-02