I ask the Minister to request that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, respond to me on the issue. She has responsibility for mental health.

I commend and thank Deputy Cairns and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this important motion. The Opposition is united on this issue. However, here we are again having a debate on another motion. What the people in the Gallery demand and need today is to see the urgent action that is required to help people with disabilities to have a better quality of life. As was said already, the average cost for a person living with a disability is between €9,000 and €12,500 per year. This is just the average cost. Som…

I will focus the little time I have on the part of this Bill that attempts to deal with the Stardust tragedy. I was only six years old in 1981 and I do not remember the tragedy happening. What I remember are the lingering conversations over the years about how 48 young people went to a St. Valentine's eve disco and never came home. I remember how the adults in my life were upset not just by the fact that so many young lives had been lost but also that there was no justice for their families. I am from a similar wor…

I welcome this emergency legislation to shorten the notice period for schools being instructed to accommodate pupils with special educational needs. As my colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire said, Sinn Féin has been calling for this for many weeks. While it will not solve every issue, it will be an important step forward. I commend the campaign by parents of children with special educational needs who have been tireless in their efforts to ensure their children's educational needs are met. I have met representative groups…

I too thank the Labour Party for bringing forward the Bill and allowing me the opportunity to speak to the challenges people with autism face. Some challenges they have are pronounced, such as those relating to social interaction and communication, repetitive and restrictive patterns of behaviour and sensory processing. These challenges are bad enough, but the greatest challenge they face is in getting a timely intervention that will allow them to reach their full potential. I commend those in the Public Gallery fr…

I want to speak about the speed at which the Bill has progressed through the House. It has been quite difficult for people to engage in the process. On Committee Stage we heard people felt they were excluded from the process, particularly people with disabilities who felt the speed of the process excluded them. Nobody wants the Bill delayed but we want to get it right. The 90-minute guillotine being imposed on us today is another example of a rushed process. When will the Bill go to the Seanad? Will it be in the ne…

I welcome that the Minister will seek a resolution in the Seanad and I will watch that intently. I am happy the Minister did not use the language he used on Committee Stage in saying people detained under the Mental Health Act 2001 could be a risk to themselves and others. That language caused upset and it was a generalisation that stigmatised people detained under the Mental Health Act. Today's stance continues to discriminate against those whose rights are incredibly restricted due to detention under the Mental H…

I want to speak to amendment No. 65. The Disability Act 2005 takes an overly medical model approach to the definition of disability as compared with the conceptualisation of disability under Article 1 of the UNCRPD. The UN's understanding of disability is broader than that covered under the Disability Act and is more inclusive of and reflective of different experiences, including for people who have experience of mental health services but who do not identify with any label or diagnosis, and for people who have exp…

It is my understanding that, since Committee Stage, IHREC has changed its position in its recent recruitment campaign for new members of its disability advisory group by using the UNCRPD's understanding of disability rather than that in the Disability Act 2005. As I said, this is more inclusive and facilitates the participation of more people, including people with experience of mental health services. It is my opinion that if the Minister does not accept this amendment, it could hamper IHREC's efforts to be more i…

We will be opposing this amendment as it gives a legislative basis to inherent jurisdiction. Inherent jurisdiction creates a loophole which allows the court to deny a person's legal capacity and makes decisions for them without following the rules of any specific legislation providing a specific basis for appeals or ensuring regular review. It allows the court to determine and forcibly treat people beyond what is permitted under the 2015 Act or the Mental Health Acts. In recent years, inherent jurisdiction has been…

There are always alternatives to forced psychiatric treatment which are more compliant with an individual's human rights if the Minister was minded to fund and resource peer-led human rights compliant initiatives. However, this amendment brings the law further from compliance with the UNCRPD.

There has been a shift in focus from deeming a person does not have capacity to an equal recognition of legal capacity. As per Article 12 of the UNCRPD, legal capacity is an inherent right owed to everyone. This is about moving to a recognition that everyone has legal capacity but still holds the understanding that where you may not be able to understand, will and preference decision-making supports may be needed. On Committee Stage, as Deputy Cairns said, the Minister refused to accept the amendment because he sai…

I will not repeat everything Deputy Cairns just said but the UN committee has made clear the functional test of mental capacity has no place in a true system of supported decision-making. I understand accepting this amendment would require further amendments to the Bill and the principal Act. However, it is preferable these amendments take place now to ensure this State is as close as possible to compliance with international obligations than realising the error of our ways further down the line in the review of th…

I noticed the Minister, Deputy Ryan, getting glossy photos taken in front of electric buses this week. These buses are welcome and will reduce emissions. However, in the same week, two bus services in my area were curtailed. The 68X route, which operates from Newcastle to the city centre, has been discontinued. Newcastle is one of the areas of highest population growth not only in my constituency but also in the State. The 51D service between Clondalkin and the city centre has also been reduced. People in Newcastle…

On Saturday, I stood outside the GPO with members of FUSS. I stood in solidarity as they spoke about children's disability services. The Minister of State mentioned emotion. I could not help but be emotional while listening to the parents and children who shared their lived experiences. They have to fight every single day just to get the basic care, access to treatment and school places their children need. One of the groups at the protest on Saturday was the Clondalkin Autism Parents Support Network, which is base…

At the committee on children it was revealed that 20 children under the care of Tusla accessed south Kerry's child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, during the period covered by the Maskey report. Of these, six children suffered harm or significant harm, that is, 30% of all children under the care of the State who accessed CAMHS in south Kerry were placed at some form of harm. The Department of Health has revealed to me that it had no engagement with Tusla on this until it received a parliamentary quest…

Sinn Féin supports the need to reform how wardships of court are legislated for in the State, but the Government has missed the opportunity to make Ireland a leader in capacity legislation and to fulfil our obligations under the UNCRPD. Sinn Féin will table a number of amendments to make this legislation inclusive, equal and more human rights compliant. The fact that this Bill also repeals the Marriage of Lunatics Act 1811 and the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 says enough to show that updating the legislatio…

The cost of living is out of control and families are under real financial pressure as a result. Food costs are soaring while people's incomes stay the same. Every day, people who are struggling come into my constituency office on Neilstown Road. Their struggle is not just with the cost of living. People are contacting my office who are struggling because of the housing crisis, whether that be the lack of housing, sky-high rents or because they are among the thousands languishing on never-ending public housing list…

The Maskey report into south Kerry CAMHS found that over 200 children were put at serious risk and that 46 children suffered significant harm. I seek an update on the status of the national review of CAMHS, including the timescale for completion and publication. I also seek an update on any improvements that have been made for children in south Kerry.

I thank the Minister of State. On the procurement processing, I always get worried that this will slow things down and that there is a lack of urgency here. Does it go to tender after this? What happens after the procurement process and will that slow things down any further? I am aware the Minister of State will come back on this, but it is my understanding that since the Maskey report there is still no full-time consultant in south Kerry and a locum is still filling in. We even heard the bizarre news that the whi…