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

I understand that existing practice provides that if an individual who develops high-level mental health difficulties is believed to meet the criteria for involuntary admission to an approved centre or registered acute mental health centre, as they are in the new Bill, they will be transferred from prison to appropriate care setting for treatment. The Department, the HSE and I are committed to ensuring that every person receives the right care in the right place at the right time. Our policy, Sharing the Vision, includes specific recommendations for forensic mental health services. The emphasis in Sharing the Vision is on ensuring that every person with mental health difficulties coming into contact with the forensic system will have access to comprehensive tiered mental health support. To give an update on additional capacity coming on stream, according the latest information I have from the HSE concerning the National Forensic Mental Health Service hospital in Portrane, the flooring repairs needed to open additional capacity in the Central Mental Hospital have been completed. Residents of the Brandon unit approved centre are scheduled to return to the Blooms unit in the Central Mental Hospital on Saturday and Sunday coming, 18 and 19 April. This move will also see the opening of six additional female beds in the Blooms unit. That is a total of 114 beds open. I have funded 18 beds in the Central Mental Hospital to open this year. That is an update on where we are seeing the capacity increase. I hope that will resolve any concerns Senators may have.

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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