Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2025-12-17
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I will try to wrap this up, because I want to move on. We spent a lot of time debating this last week. If I have to stay here until I turn 60, I will do so. I will not legislate to put children into adult wards. I am amazed that the Opposition is asking me to legislate to put children into adult wards for up to 72 hours. I will never do that. As I said, there have been two children put into wards so far this year. That is not down to me. I have led on this matter, but it is down to all of the staff working day and night, every day of the week, including on Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day. On Christmas Eve, when we will all be at home, there will be people working 24-7 to support the most vulnerable in society, who are potentially a risk to themselves or others. The two children in question were in an approved centre. They were both aged 17 and had one-to-one support all night long. They also had the support of their parents and clinicians. I have said it before and I will say it again, I will always choose life over death. I will not go back into the matter again. I am not for turning. Anybody who knows me in my role as Minister of State since 2020 will know that I have never wavered on this. I will not do so now. That was a time when we had more than 100 children in this situation. This year, we have had two. These are the numbers I will stand over all day long.
I want to raise a further point. Senator Boyhan stated that children were incarcerated. He may have said that but I do not think he meant it . They are not incarcerated. Incarcerated means to be imprisoned or confined in a jail, prison or similar correctional facility, essentially having one's liberty restricted by authority, often after being convicted of a crime. No children are incarcerated. These children were admitted voluntarily. They were supported by their parents and clinicians. I ask Senator Boyhan to correct the record of the Seanad. I do not think he meant it. I think it is a word he used but I do not believe for one second that I would stand over that children were incarcerated in an adult psychiatric ward.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-12-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-17