Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1562. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the progression of the draft Bill to reform the Mental Health Act 2001; if this will be added to priority legislation for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37511/23]
View answerThe General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act was published in July 2021. The Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Mental Health’s Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report on the General Scheme was published on 12 October 2022.
Priority drafting for the Mental Health Bill was sought and granted for the Spring/Summer legislative sessions this year and officials in my Department are working intensively with the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to progress the final text of this complex, lengthy Bill.
Discussions on the priority list for the autumn legislative session are now taking place and the full list will be published at the beginning of the upcoming Dáil term.
The publication of the Mental Health Bill is a priority for me and for the Government and I look forward to introducing the Bill to the Oireachtas as soon as possible following publication of the Bill.
The new Bill will overhaul our mental health legislation making it more person-centred and human rights focused and help to put in place a more robust framework in which mental health services can be delivered.
