Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Martin Conway (IND), Administrative Panel

I am pleased to hear that the Minister of State has been engaging with the Courts Service and that specific arrangements for this purpose will be put in place over the coming weeks. This is a big deal for families. There are roughly 1,000 families in this situation. I have engaged with a couple of them in recent times and have engaged with others over the years. It takes over their lives completely, for obvious reasons. They love and care for the person concerned. The last thing we want to see, as Senator McDowell so eloquently put it, is a legal stampede. I have great confidence in the Courts Service. If it is giving an assurance to the Minister of State and her officials that this can be managed, that is great. I take absolute solace from that. I have known the Minister of State for a long time. I know that when she says something, she means it. She is one of the most sincere people in politics. I can say that, hand on heart. When she says that it will not be extended beyond October 2027, if she has anything to do with it, that will be the case. I take absolute solace from and have absolute confidence in that. I am happy to go with Senator McDowell and take confidence from the assurances provided by the Courts Service.

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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