Mental Health Bill 2024
Public bill · Government · Presented
Plans a full overhaul of Ireland’s mental health laws, replacing older rules with a more rights-based system. It tightens and updates the rules for admitting adults and children to mental health centres, requires stronger review and appeal processes for involuntary detention, and says treatment generally needs consent unless there are limited exceptions for urgent or serious situations. It also sets clearer safeguards around restraint, strengthens oversight of services through registration and inspection, expands support for legal aid and nominated persons, and updates decision-making rules so mental health care fits better with modern capacity law.
Formal long title
Bill entitled an Act to provide for the admission to, and discharge from, registered acute mental health centres, of adult persons in certain circumstances and, for the involuntary admission of adult persons who meet the criteria for involuntary admission to such centres; to provide for the criteria for, and review of, involuntary admission of adult persons to registered acute mental health centres; and, for those purposes, to provide for the establishment of mental health review boards; to provide for the care and treatment of adult persons in registered acute mental health centres and to provide that treatment, other than in certain limited circumstances, shall not be given to adult persons without consent being given for such treatment; to regulate the application, in certain limited circumstances, of restrictive practices in respect of adult persons who are admitted to registered acute mental health centres; to provide for the admission to and discharge from registered acute mental health centres of children on a voluntary basis and with parental consent; to provide for the involuntary admission to, and discharge from, registered acute mental health centres of children who meet the criteria for involuntary admission of children to registered acute mental health centres by way of application to the Family District Court or the District Court, as the case may be; to provide for the criteria for, and review of, involuntary admission of children to registered acute mental health centres; to provide for the treatment of children in registered acute mental health centres and to provide that treatment, other than in certain limited circumstances, shall not be given to children without consent being given for such treatment; to regulate the application, in certain limited circumstances, of restrictive practices and the prohibition on administration of electro-convulsive therapy in respect of children who are admitted to registered acute mental health centres; to provide for applications to be made to court to provide for the entitlements of persons admitted to registered acute mental health centres; to provide for the continuation in being of the Mental Health Commission and the Inspector of Mental Health Services; to provide for the establishment and maintenance of a register of acute mental health centres, a register of community mental health centres and a register of community mental health services for such centres and services registered under and in accordance with this Act; to provide for the regulation of mental health services including registered acute mental health centres, registered community mental health centres and registered community mental health services; to provide for the monitoring and enforcement of compliance with the provisions of this Act by the Mental Health Commission; to repeal the Mental Health Act 2001 and certain other enactments; to provide for the amendment of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and certain other enactments; and to provide for related matters.
Last updated 13 May 2026
- Minister for Health Primary
- First StageDáil
- Second StageDáil
- Committee StageDáil
- Report StageDáil
- Fifth StageDáil
- Second StageSeanad
- Committee StageSeanad
- Report StageSeanad
- Fifth StageSeanad
- Cream ListDáil
- EnactedEnacted
- Mental Health Bill 2024: From the Seanad Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage Seanad
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Committee Stage Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Referral to Select Committee Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage Dáil
- Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) Dáil