Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-29
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I thank James and Lorraine, who are sitting behind me. They are not finished yet, so I was not going to thank them at this stage. I want to say one thing, and he will kill me. James Kelly has been working on this Bill for six years. He has given six years to this Bill from start to finish. That is some dedication. I have worked with James and Lorraine for five years on the Bill. I thank them for that. I acknowledge Andrea and representatives of the College of Psychiatry and Mental Health Reform who have been here. They have sat through almost every hour. That is appreciated and it is not easy. I also thank the Office of Parliamentary Counsel. I met with its staff yesterday regarding the Bill and the next four weeks and the stages in relation to that. I thank the Bills Office and all the work it does. If I could, on a personal note, with the indulgence of the Leas-Chathaoirleach, I wish the new Clerk of the Seanad, Martin Hughes, all the best in his new role. When I chaired the Oireachtas committee for Business, Enterprise and Innovation in 2016, Martin was the clerk to me. We had a lovely working relationship. The Seanad is lucky to have Martin.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:34+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-29