From Department of Health
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Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD, today welcomed the publication of the Department of Health’s report of a public consultation on the review of the Mental Health Act 2001, saying:
"This public consultation provided an opportunity for the voice of people who use our mental services and their families, those working under the Act every day, and other key stakeholders, to be heard and to directly impact on the development of this legislation. This report summarises the feedback from the 100 submissions received between March and April 2021. It highlights the paramount importance of this review, ensuring that the wide breadth of views and opinions on the Act is fully considered."
Minister Butler added:
"I would like to offer my sincere thanks to each person and organisation who took the time to engage with the consultation. A particular thanks to those individuals and groups who helped guide and support people through the process of submitting feedback. I wanted to ensure that the voice of individuals with lived experience was heard in the review of the Act. Overall, the feedback received to date has been invaluable in informing the final draft legislation."
In July 2021 the government approved the General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Mental Health Act. Looking toward the next steps in the process, Minister Butler concluded:
"The amendment of the Mental Health Act in full continues to be a major priority for me and for the department. My firm expectation is that the Bill will be ready for introduction to the Oireachtas as soon as possible in 2022."
Pre-legislative Scrutiny by the Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Mental Health is expected to begin in November. The drafting of a formal Bill by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel is expected to commence before the end of 2021. The department’s Report of the Public Consultation on the Review of the Mental Health Act 2001 is available online, along with copies of the submissions received during the public consultation process.