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

I thank the Senator. I have had calls too, from people very high up who deliver psychiatric care, since I left the Chamber. They were absolutely appalled at the language the Senator used as it was so triggering. I put that on the record of the Seanad.
As previously stated, the commission is independent in its function. I do not believe it is appropriate to dictate that the commission must carry out this report. Second, the commission is not responsible for implementing mental health services. It would be inappropriate for the commission to be responsible for estimating the required numbers of staff and funding in mental health services. Similarly, it would be inappropriate to require the commission to develop a youth mental health clinical specialty. That is the job of the HSE and the Department of Health. The allocation of fully staffing mental health services and estimating levels of new additional funding are both resource allocation matters for the Minister for Health and the Government as a whole to consider as part of the annual Estimates process. It is not a function appropriate to the commission. For that reason, I am not in a position to accept the amendment.

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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