Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-09
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

It is really important to remember we are talking about people, as the Senator rightly said, who are involuntarily detained, and that has happened for a reason. In a lot of cases, these people are very ill; otherwise, they would not be involuntarily detained.
After the initial review board hearing, a review board will not be reconvened until an order is renewed. The Bill provides for orders to last up to three months. If it is mandated that all hearings take place before 14 days following admission, there is a risk that a person is still too unwell to properly engage with his or her legal representative. The person who has been involuntarily detained may be better able to engage with his or her legal representative and the review board between days 14 and 21. We must keep that in mind. Generally, a person who has been involuntarily detained is very ill and needs psychiatric support. Currently, the majority of people are seen between days 14 to 19. That is why I am slow to change the provision. We have that caveat there and the provision for family support.
I take on board the Senator's point about people who might not feel competent enough to be able to speak for themselves at a review board hearing, such as people who are vulnerable, marginalised or whatever. However, I believe the provision we have made in terms of the Minister being able to make these small changes will cover that. It would be subject to the Minister looking at the data being presented. A total of 1,734 tribunals were held in 2024. The statistics show very clearly that almost 70% of them are held between 15 to 19 days after admission. It is a very small cohort who have their tribunals on days 19 or 20.

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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