I did not receive an email, letter or any notice of it. That may be lost in translation somewhere. Will the Leas-Chathaoirleach read out the note about why it was ruled out, just for the record? Thanks.

That is fair enough.

I move amendment No. 52b: In page 26, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “Report on right to independent advocacy 13. Within nine months of the passing of this Act the Minister shall lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report outlining how a right to independent advocacy can be guaranteed to all patients and their caregivers.”. Before talking about the rationale, I want to use this opportunity to say that, since the Minister of State and I last met, I have had much engagement from groups includi…

I will follow on from what Senator Black said because it ties in with that. I too received a number of letters. I am loath to read out letters from people in the House because it can be sensitive stuff. Again, it is about the feeling that there are advocates. Patients are vulnerable and in a care situation. As the Minister of State described, the people may be unwell and on medication. There are peer pressures around the individual coming into mental health services. In respect of having a right to independent advo…

I will go back to the amendment first. I am delighted that the Minister of State is at one with us on that. The only thing is about primary legislation. There is nothing precluding the Minister from excluding it from primary legislation. I know the Minister of State has talked about secondary legislation and all of that. I do not doubt her word. I take her word. She can take it from me. She has been around a long time and I think I will be around for some time. We will chase each other to chase it over the line in …

I will withdraw the amendment.

I want to come back on the Minister of State's response in respect of amendment No. 56. I referred to the rationale behind the amendment. The major concern of those in the professions to whom I have been speaking is that the Bill does not require that a capacity assessment be completed before involuntary treatment begins. That is either factually correct or it is not. Will the Minister of State confirm the position? Nor does the Bill require regular capacity assessments throughout the period of involuntary treatmen…

It is not okay. Does this amendment come under section 14?

We have to agree each section and this is an opportunity to discuss a section. I thank the Minister of State for her engagement. There has been good engagement, insofar as we could engage given that amendment No. 57 was ruled out of order. I have to say that I have no recollection of receiving any notice of that, which raises serious issues. I am conscious of the people watching the debate. They do not quite understand the parliamentary processes. In making primary legislation, we are informed by our Standing Order…

I got it earlier today actually, but I have made my point.

We knew we would work on you.

Great.

I move amendment No. 77: In page 39, after line 39, to insert the following: “Report on Maximising Autonomy 27. In advance of the five-year review of the Bill, the Mental Health Commission shall prepare and submit a report reviewing strategies to maximise patient autonomy within mental health services. This report shall be developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including but not limited to: (a) people with lived experience; (b) family members and supporters; (c) mental health professionals; (…

I will withdraw my amendment with the right to re-enter it.

I thank the Minister of State for the early start this morning. We do not normally come in as early as this, so I thank her and her officials. I, too, wish her a good Christmas. We will not be dealing with the Bill again this week. We had originally planned to do so tomorrow. I put that on the record and thank the Minister of State's officials. It is very intense work because every "t" needs to be crossed and every "i" dotted. I accept that. What the Minister of State read into the record - and, of course, we will …

The Minister of State spoke about young people. Another group who are important, and this is also part of her brief, is the elderly. There are a lot of people in the psychogeriatric category. From speaking to people in psychiatric services in Dublin, I know in some cases it is difficult to get engagement with any member of the family. That is the reality. Family members come in, the patient is deposited and no one seems to get back. This is a challenge for the services. It does not happen too often but it does happ…

That is great. It is important to note, however, that we still send people outside the State in exceptional or very challenging circumstances. That is not an ideal situation and we need to monitor it. That has to be a priority for us. We talk about children’s advocacy, children’s rights and the UN convention. This is an issue of concern to the advocacy groups. It has to be an issue of concern to Tusla. It says it does not necessarily have the resources or the specialties to deal with it. This applies particularly t…

I will not go into great length because, in fairness, the Minister of State was very patient and we had a good debate. I certainly received a lot of feedback from the debate. People are not particularly happy. I suppose the word that we perhaps did not hear enough of was the "ambition" of the Government. The Minister of State explained to us all that, of course, it was an all-of-Government approach to the two UN conventions but it is important that we send out a clear message. I cannot put words into the Minister o…

I know that is the case under the Standing Order. It is important that it be read into the record. There is also amendment No. 40, which is also in this section.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for clarifying that. It is rarely used and rarely asked for but that clarity and the Cathaoirleach reading that into the record is something we should exercise more often because these records stand. I accept that these are the Standing Orders we have all signed up to. We can amend our Standing Orders, of course, though it would be very difficult, given the huge majority on the other side of the House. However, I operate within the rules. That is a rule as well. Now it is on the record. Th…