Press Release: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Minister for Mental Health passes landmark Mental Health Bill through Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann
- Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler has secured the passage of the Mental Health Bill 2024 through Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann
- Amendments to the Mental Health Bill brought forward by the Minister substantially address concerns from some stakeholders about implementation
- Landmark Bill will put in place a robust legal framework to protect rights of people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties for decades to come
Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler T.D., has secured the passage of the Mental Health Bill 2024 through Committee Stage in the Dáil this evening [Wednesday, 25 June 2025].
The Mental Health Bill, which will replace the Mental Health Act 2001, was published in July last year and passed Second Stage in September. The Bill fell with the dissolution of the previous Dáil, but Minister Butler restored the Bill to the order paper, as one of her first acts as Chief Whip.
Minister Butler said:
“I am really pleased to have successfully steered the Mental Health Bill through another stage of the legislative process, having concluded its passage through Committee Stage in the Dáil this evening. A robust, healthy debate on the amendments of the Bill took place over the past few weeks and I would like to extend a personal thanks to all of the Deputies who engaged in the Committee Stage process.
“We are now one step closer to the landmark Mental Health Bill becoming law. Each step in the legislative process is an opportunity to improve the Bill and make it as robust as possible. The Bill deals with complex legal and ethical issues and the Bill and its amendments have been drafted following extensive consultation with key stakeholders and other Government Departments.”
The Mental Health Bill is a forward-thinking, person-centred piece of legislation which is the result of years of drafting, research, and consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, including people with lived experience of mental health services and their loved ones.
Minister Butler added:
“This Bill represents a huge step forward in the vindication of the rights of people accessing mental health services, particularly those who have been involuntarily admitted and those accessing services in acute mental health settings.
“The Bill will also expand the regulatory powers of the Mental Health Commission to include all community mental health services and teams, including community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). I will now seek to move the Bill to Report Stage in the coming weeks.”
Minister Butler concluded:
“I look forward to working with the HSE, Mental Health Commission and other key stakeholders as we continue the journey towards enacting this important Bill, which is an extraordinary opportunity to transform our mental health services and put in place the necessary safeguards to ensure the rights of people with mental health difficulties are protected in the decades to come.”