Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Emer Higgins (FG), Dublin Mid-West

To be clear, a key consideration when we were devising this Bill was the impact that a blanket extension would have on the rights of wards of court and on the ongoing discharge process. For that reason, we decided not to go down that route. That was really because we felt it would not be in line with the principles of the 2015 Act or in line with our obligations under the UNCRPD. Ultimately, it could disrupt and undermine the current discharge processes that are under way in the High Court, and the momentum that is now building in terms of progressing these applications. The courts are continuing to progress discharge applications in line with the requirements of the 2015 Act. Once the legislative amendments have been signed into law, any remaining wards who have been granted an extension will have additional time to engage with the process and to understand the various supported decision-making arrangements available.
My Department has engaged very extensively with the Courts Service. It now has a case management plan in place. It has committed to a number of sittings over Easter, and is confident that it will be able to achieve this through the new deadline.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26