Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Lynn Ruane (IND), University of Dublin

I want to clarify two points. First, did the Minister of State say that if somebody sees the review board at 14 days, he or she would not be able to see it again until the three-month point? I am not sure whether I heard that correctly, so I want to double-check it.
Second, and I do not know whether it can be legislated for as such, I refer to what is kind of the inverse of the need for those in a more vulnerable position or who perhaps come from marginalised groups needing an advocate if they are held for 21 days or whatever. From the small sample of experience I have, which is not right across the mental health sector - this is just something to think about - I have found that at the 14-plus-days point, for those who are more articulate and strong in their sense of understanding of things, the involuntary care order often is removed because of their ability to present themselves but, in fact, they still need care. This is the complete inverse of what I usually talk about but I have found that for people with a third level education, for example, or who have a certain vocabulary around different health needs and are able to present them in a certain way, something might click and their voluntary care order is removed because of their ability to represent themselves in the moment, even though their material situation or the risk to their own life or to others has not actually changed in reality.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:26+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-09