Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler T.D., has welcomed the passage of the Mental Health Bill 2024 through Second Stage in the Dáil.
It replaces the Mental Health Act 2001 and comes after lengthy consultations with key stakeholders.
There will be further debate and passage of the Bill through the Houses, and, along with national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision, it aims to provide robust legislative and policy frameworks for Ireland's mental health services.
Minister Butler said:
"The Mental Health Bill is a really important piece of legislation and is our opportunity to put in place more person-centric mental health legislation that will further modernise, reform and protect the rights of people with mental health difficulties in the decades ahead."
Minister Butler added:
"Individuals receiving treatment under the Mental Health Bill 2024 will be empowered to play a more active role in making decisions about their care and treatment, and there will be closer alignment between the Mental Health Bill and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts 2015 and 2022. Additional safeguards will also be put in place for individuals, such as additional safeguards on the use of restrictive practices, and provisions providing for the involvement of family members or carers in a person’s treatment in cases where the person has given their explicit consent.
"The Bill will also benefit all people who access a wide range of mental health services by introducing, for the first time, a comprehensive system of registration and regulation of community mental health services, including all community CAMHS."
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