Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-16
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State and no one is disputing that. That is why we are changing the legislation. This is not at all about the 72 hours. We discussed this on Committee Stage. Where it is an emergency, I think we agree on the same thing. Where it is an emergency, it is acceptable. If we have that in there, it is saying it is an emergency. However, that is not taking the onus away whereby there has to be investment in children-only services. I know the Minister of State has committed to that. Nevertheless, what if other people come down the line after her and it becomes common practice, as Senator Higgins said? By having this in, it will prevent that being changed, not by this Minister of State but by someone else. The commitment is not made to ensure there are children-only services, where it can be said that something else is an emergency. I know there is the Mental Health Commission, and I know there are clinicians involved in it. However, I think this would safeguard that. I do not think it takes away from the fact. Parents are not saying that in an emergency, if there is no other bed available, they should be in an adult psychiatric unit. I fully agree with that, and I am not saying this in the case of the 72 hours. We are saying that if it was within the framework that there is a full commitment, that we want to invest in that, then there will always be continued investment in children-only services. This is only for emergency cases.

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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