Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I think that should be acknowledged and I thank him for that. I also want to acknowledge the new interim CEO of Mental Health Reform, who was also present last night and is here today. Deputy Wynne need not have any worries because I engage constantly with Jigsaw and Mental Health Reform, as do my officials. She does not need to have any concerns there. That is ongoing in the Department on a monthly basis.

Yesterday evening, Deputies spoke about some of the complexities of the Bill, such as the criteria for involuntary admission, the powers of An Garda Síochána, and the importance of language and terminology in this legislation. Many of these issues were subject to lengthy consultation and extensive legal advice during the development of the Bill, and I recognise that it will be important for the rationale that underpins these issues to be discussed in more detail as we move through the legislative process. There were several reasons the term “mental disorder” felt most appropriate, but we can discuss this on Committee Stage. I know it was discussed in detail at pre-legislative scrutiny, and there was not another wording people felt was appropriate, but we can discuss all that going forward. I want to acknowledge the work of Senator Frances Black and the Oireachtas committee on mental health, of which Deputy Ward is also a member, for the amount of work done on pre-legislative scrutiny.

As we all know, this work cannot be done overnight, and the Bill that is before us today is the result of years of hard work. The matters that have been raised by Deputies during this debate will continue to be examined in great detail on Committee Stage, and I look forward to engaging in further discussions. In case anybody did not hear this yesterday, we currently have 211 authorised officers in place, and we will continue to build on that number, because there is a genuine concern that when the powers are removed from An Garda Síochána, the availability of all authorised officers in all areas is important.

Chapter 6 of the Bill includes 38 sections relating to the regulation of mental health services, including all community mental health services. Establishing the legal basis to regulate services for the first time requires the solid legal foundation that Part 6 provides. As I have stated in the past, I do not believe it could be achieved by an amendment to the existing Act. The new Bill provides the opportunity to embed the regulation of community services and put all mental health services on a firm legal footing.

Turning briefly to COSS, I am glad to see Deputies welcome the enhanced role for the authorised officers in the involuntary admission process in the Bill. I agree that the HSE must expand the authorised officer system and ensure they are available across the country and outside regular working hours. Officials in my Department will proactively engage with the HSE on the authorised officer system and all other costs associated with the Bill. The broadening of the regulation of community services will also require capital investment from the State in order to ensure that mental health services are delivered in appropriate settings that best meet the needs of service users. Officials in my Department will continue to work across all relevant Departments to ensure that the commencement of the Bill is well planned for. This will include ensuring that the available resources are put in place for the phased and prioritised implementation of this legislation.

The Mental Health Bill 2024 further exemplifies this Government's commitment to improving mental health services. The clear commitment to enhancing services is shown by significant mental health funding increases in recent years. This commitment was reflected again in budget 2024, which saw record spending on mental health rise to more than €1.3 billion. This is the fourth consecutive year in which an increase has been provided to support mental health services.

There was some discussion during the debate on Sharing the Vision, our new mental health policy which puts the service user front and centre. I will give an update on the national implementation and monitoring committee. One of the first jobs I did was putting that in place in 2020. The national implementation and monitoring committee, NIMIC, is tasked with driving and overseeing policy implementation, and its work is progressing well. As of the most recent report, which was dated May 2024, 80 of the 100 recommendations on Sharing the Vision are marked as on track. Five recommendations have been marked as completed. The delivery of the policy is currently guided by Sharing the Vision 2022 to 2024 and work has commenced on the development of the second implementation plan to cover 2025 to 2027, with vital stakeholder engagement under way. Yesterday, for example, under the new chair, Catherine Brogan, a second regional meeting was held. This one was actually held in Waterford. The last one was held during the summer in Galway. Some 75 delegates were present, all discussing Sharing the Vision, the implementation plan, and the new implementation plan for 2025 to 2027. That work is therefore under way, regardless of who is in this particular role. It is great to see NIMIC, which is doing phenomenal work.

The Mental Health Bill 2024 is one strand of a wider programme of reforms in the mental health sector. Enhanced investment continues to underpin the implementation of our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, and our national suicide reduction policy, Connecting for Life. Through these policies, the Government is delivering tangible improvement across mental health services, for example, through the development of out of hours supports, CAMHS services and the national clinical programme and models of care.

Last week, I travelled to Castlerea in Roscommon for the first ever Discovery West service, a day hospital supporting young people through their mental health journey. I have to say, the collaboration between the schools, libraries, CAMHS teams, CAMHS Connect and the young people was something to behold. It was fantastic to see it.

Deputies will be aware that mental health services for children and young people are a key concern throughout the country. It is very important that children's rights are recognised and upheld. To this end, I very much welcome the changes that the Mental Health Bill proposes in this regard. Improving access to CAMHS remains a key focus for me, and I want to assure the House that as this Bill progresses and as it is commenced, the Government will retain that much-needed focus on CAMHS service improvement and will continue to work to reduce waiting times and improve access. Additional funding and service improvements have had a positive impact on CAMHS. As an example, in July 2024, the CAMHS national waiting list had reduced by 13% compared to the same period last year. In addition, the July 2024 waiting list saw 27% fewer children waiting more than 12 months for an appointment than in July 2023. I acknowledge that there are challenges in our youth mental health services and there is much more work to be done. However, I wish to assure the Deputies that I remain fully committed to improving at every level, be it through service improvement, service redesign, or legislative reform.

In conclusion, I am proud to stand before the House today to introduce this Mental Health Bill. I believe this is a progressive Bill that is person-centred and human rights-based. It respects the autonomy of people with mental health difficulties to make decisions about their care and treatment. It sets out the necessary legal underpinning for significant expansion of regulation to all community mental health services. I look forward to continuing the debate on the provisions of this Bill on Committee Stage, and I look forward to debating the merits of amendments proposed by both Government and Opposition. I would like to reiterate that all amendments tabled will be given due consideration. I am also conscious of where we are within the electoral cycle, but I do believe that if we all work together, we could move this very quickly. Obviously, if it passes Second Stage today, the next Stage will be at the Oireachtas committee. I do believe there is a willingness across everyone who spoke, both last night and today, to try to get this done as quickly as possible. I think too much work has been done for that not to happen.

We now have the opportunity to introduce a Bill that is forward-thinking and may be in place for decades to come. As Deputies will appreciate, this legislation will mean a great deal to many.

I look forward to working with the Members of both Houses on progressing this as swiftly as possible. I ask the Deputies to support the Bill.

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