Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-16
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

When we had the challenges in Kerry in 2022, I funded YAP to go into Kerry. There are 100 plus YAP advocates, 450 plus families who have participated and it is active in 22 counties. We are moving it out as best we can. I want to give a shout-out to the YAP team because they are fantastic. Not a lot of people know about them but I do, and I fund them. I have committed to expanding advocacy at the level of secondary legislation. A huge amount of what I have to do relates to secondary legislation. As I said, there is a right to advocacy in any Act in the State. Regulation is the right way to introduce advocacy. Officials in the Department will consult with all relevant stakeholders ahead of finalising the regulations. As I said, I met patient advocacy services. I reiterate that I have form when it comes to patient advocacy services. I am the Minister of State who rolled out the patient advocacy service across every nursing home, public, private and voluntary. I continue that at the moment. The rollout has started across mental health services. It is under way but they have to scale up. Providing advocacy services for somebody who may be involuntarily detained or have an enduring mental health condition and is in the care of clinicians is a little different from providing advocacy services for somebody who does not have a mental health issue. That will have to be acknowledged as well. The Cathaoirleach will be very familiar with this because we have had many conversations about Kerry CAMHS. I received the report on a Friday and the parents received by registered post within ten days a copy of the report, underacted, without a word changed. Within five weeks, I put in place a new non-adversarial compensation scheme similar to the previous one. I also provided that any new children identified will not have to wait until the report is completed; they can access the scheme and the HSE is doing a further look-back. It was probably one of the lowest days I served as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health listening to parents of children who were harmed. We have done everything we can as quickly, efficiently, effectively and compassionately as possible. I recall the day I was in the Chamber that I was accused of not being compassionate but I met those parents. I am not looking for kudos or a clap on the back but it is really important that voices are heard.
On the conversation about beds being closed, this Minister of State is not closing any beds. I am opening beds. I funded beds again in this year's budget. We have to consolidate our service. A further €4 million was provided for 18 CAMHS acute inpatient beds in budget 2026. This includes reopening 11 beds at Linn Dara Cherry Orchard and opening seven CAMHS beds in the new national children's hospital because they will be opened on a phased basis.
At the same time as we are opening beds, we are consolidating services. I have to provide the most effective services I can for children. Children who might have an eating disorder, self-harm or have suicidal ideation or clinical depression and need mental health supports may also need clinical support. They are best provided in the children's hospital. For too long, children have had to go to Tallaght or Crumlin hospitals to be stabilised and then get the mental health supports they need. We have to move forward to a situation where both supports can be provided in a hospital. Regardless of what was said on "Morning Ireland" - I did not get to hear all of it today - no beds are being closed under my watch. We are opening beds. No staff will lose a job. They will be redeployed to a different area where beds are opening. I cannot be clearer about that. The Senator left; he spoke about dual diagnosis. Sharing the Vision, our mental health policy, is very clear. It was published in June 2020. Dual diagnosis is a reality now in mental health services and supports. The increased waiting list for CAMHS was mentioned. It has increased and I am worried but what was not said in the report this morning was that there have been 70% more referrals to CAMHS in the past five years. That is massive. The number has gone from 16,000 to 25,000. It is easy to point to a waiting list but I am trying to make sure children are not on a waiting list for too long. There will always be a waiting list. There will always be young people who need mental health support so they will always be on a waiting list but I am trying to make sure they are not on it for too long. There are waiting lists in all societies. I cannot in good conscience write into primary legislation that we will do a review of this in nine months because I have to roll out the service first. I will provide for patient advocacy services in secondary legislation. One has to hold oneself to account and set deadlines. I have no problem doing that. I understand where everyone is coming from. While I agree with them in theory, I am not in a position to do it in primary legislation but I will do it in secondary legislation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-16