Mental Health Bill 2024: From the Seanad
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-29
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

These amendments relate to the Family Courts Act 2024 and will align court proceedings for children in a mental health context with court proceedings for children in a child protection and a family law context. There are consequential amendments to change references from the Circuit Court to the Family Circuit Court and the High Court to the Family High Court.
The alignment with the family courts system is a positive step for all children the subject of court proceedings because the family court is child-friendly and sets out in its guiding principles that the best interests of the child are the primary consideration of the court. This is a system responding to lived experience and aligning the Bill with the Department of justice.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-29