Frances Black
Industrial and Commercial Panel · Independent · Ireland
“If we lost, however, under the European Communities Act 1973 we could simply repeal that aspect of the legislation and maintain the goods ban, so there is absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is the approach Spain has taken.”
“By exempting these flows from the Bill, the Government is implementing a trade ban that deliberately omits the vast majority of Irish trade. It is consciously letting large companies providing tech, IT and other service-based trade off the hook. To me, that is a tragedy.”
“It was already the legal position of the Government of Ireland that we must ban trade with settlements. Of course, nothing changed in this period in EU law either. The EU treaties are unchanged.”
“It is intended to stay like that up until such point that a full ban is agreed at EU level, which as we know may never arrive. My colleague, Senator Higgins, will speak more on this aspect later. These obligations regarding services existed long before the ICJ advisory opinion in 2024.”
“I could not do any of it without all of those people I mentioned - I hope I have not forgotten somebody. My husband who is here has also been my rock, as has my family. It is the activists but it is also the Palestinian people who we are all here for. We cannot stop this work. We have to keep going. We have to never give up.”
“I will take a minute, if that is okay. I know everybody is anxious to see the match but I feel it is imperative I thank the people I have been working with for the last eight years who have stood by me.”
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“Under that Act, public bodies are obliged to promote equal access to services and supports for persons with disabilities, ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against on the basis of the nature or visibility of their disability and provide reasonable accommodation to enable a person with a disability to live with dignity and autonomy. The side-by-side policy appears to be in direct conflict with these principles. I wish to draw the Minister's attention to a particularly distressing and urgent case which highlights the inadequacy of the current approach. I spoke at length to a distressed man this week. He told me about an elderly woman with advanced dementia who is living in her long-established family home due to the severity of her condition.”
“As it stands, this section appears to permit side-by-side housing only where there is a visible physical disability and the relevant dwelling was adapted for the accommodation of a person who has a disability, while failing to take account of people with non-visible cognitive, neurological or age-related disabilities, including advanced dementia. This approach raises serious concerns in relation to compliance with disability and equality legislation, most notably the Disability Act 2005.”
“These buildings are the backbone of rural Ireland. Their exclusion threatens the social fabric of entire communities. Families are losing their homes, health, financial security and their hope. Unfortunately, this amendment does not change any of that. We need full demolition, full rebuild, foundation testing, side-by-side builds, updated grant rates, a fair conveyancing standard, a reformed IS 465, action on banking barriers, a social housing plan and a State-managed scheme worthy of the people we serve. Let us act with courage, let us honour the families who trusted us and let us rebuild not only homes but also trust, safety and hope. I commend Deputy Charles Ward on the work he is doing and also the councillors Senator Cosgrove mentioned, particularly Councillor Joy Beard in Donegal.”
“A multi-stakeholder group, including banks, insurers, valuers, auctioneers and conveyancing solicitors, has warned that IS 465 does not work in the real world. These are the people who determine whether a family can get a mortgage, renew insurance, sell a home or switch lender. Their message is unambiguous: IS 465 is not protecting consumers, is not giving banks confidence, is not giving insurers certainty, and is not giving families the certainty of knowing their rebuilt homes will be fully accepted in the housing market. Unless this standard is urgently reformed, we risk rebuilding homes that are unmortgageable, uninsured and unsellable. That is not redress; it is a new form of entrapment. Finally, community buildings, schools, childcare facilities, sports clubs, community halls, small businesses and second homes all remain excluded.”
“I want to raise the deeply concerning issue of side-by-side builds. Only last week, the Government issued a press release promising side-by-side rebuilds for exceptional needs families, yet the commitment is missing from this amendment. That omission is alarming and undermines trust. Side-by-side reconstruction is humane, cost-neutral and protects vulnerable families. It should be available to all families with adjoining lands as it keeps communities together and frees up rental capacity. The principle has been accepted and now it should be legislated for. I have to speak about banking, insurance, mortgageability and the national standard IS 465. Without addressing these issues, even rebuilt homes will remain unsellable.”
“This date has no justification and no connection whatsoever to the reality of this crisis. It is simply a line on a page that has pushed 43 families into debt. This debt is created entirely by the Government's delay, not by anything they did. The promise made to 43 families must be honoured. What does a ministerial assurance mean in this country if we cannot stand over that? We have up to 2,000 social housing homes in Donegal that are affected, and we have many others all over the country. Councils have spent vast sums on temporary repairs just to keep these homes barely habitable. We keep hearing that a social housing remediation scheme is imminent, yet no plan has been produced. Where are the thousands of families expected to go when there is not one long-term rental available in many communities?”
“Rebuilding without foundation testing is absolutely reckless. We must also speak about the families who discovered defective blocks during construction. They followed every rule. They used State-approved products. Their home became uninhabitable before they even moved in. They are carrying mortgages for structures they can never live in. They are excluded from the scheme entirely. This is one of the greatest injustices in this crisis and it must be corrected. We also have the 43 early mover families. These families were personally promised by the former housing Minister that they were not going to be disadvantaged. They stepped forward because their homes were unsafe. They acted in good faith, yet today, they are excluded because of the arbitrary cut-off date of 29 March 2024.”
“The State, which caused this crisis through regulatory failure, is the only party not carrying the risk. We acknowledge the 8.7% grant uplift based on March 2024 SCSI data, but it came too late. Many early movers were left behind again, falling into debt of thousands of euro through delays created by the State. The scheme must be updated more frequently. Construction inflation does not wait for an annual review. As of October, only 205 homes have been rebuilt in Donegal, and I know that is all across the country. Many early remediations - partial repairs - are now proving to be inadequate. Full demolition and rebuild is the only permanent solution. Thousands of foundations were never tested, even though the same quarries supplied the aggregates. Why assume the foundations are safe, if the walls failed from reactive sulphides?”
“Parents are trying to heat homes that physically cannot retain heat, leaving them with enormous, unaffordable energy bills. Some have resorted to wrapping their children's bedrooms in tin foil just to keep the heat in. Then there are the downgraded families, many of who have waited more than two years for appeals. It traps people in unsafe homes. It takes away any ability to plan, protect their children and move forward. It is deeply unfair and profoundly harmful. Even for those who receive full demolition and rebuild, many cannot begin because they need tens of thousands of euro up front for engineering, testing, accommodation, deposits, disconnection charges, etc. That is not 100% redress. It is an insurmountable barrier. The claim-back system forces builders to shoulder financial risk and push homeowners into debt.”
“When pyrrhotite expands, it destroys concrete from within, and yet thousands of families were condemned to years of misery without petrographic testing, chemical analysis or often without any evidence at all. That mislabelling has trapped families in homes that cannot be sold, leaving them unable to move, remortgage or rebuild their lives. They are carrying a stigma created not by science but by the State. We urgently need a national conveyancing standard so that homes are judged on evidence and families cannot be left living under a cloud that never should have existed in the first place. We have to remember the human reality of this. Families are living in homes where rain pours down internal walls, floors heave, tiles shatter and mould spreads across children's bedrooms.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. Today we are not just debating a routine amendment, we are being asked whether this State will finally face the consequences of catastrophic regulatory failure and whether we will stand with the families whose homes and lives have been devastated by defective concrete blocks. I really do not think the amendment before us meets that responsibility. It does not reflect science, the scale of the trauma or the lived experience of the people enduring this crisis every single day. For too long we have used the phrase "mica homes", but mica is not the cause of structural collapse. The scientific evidence is clear that the real cause is internal sulfate attack driven by reactive iron sulphides such as pyrrhotite.”
“I know he is not the main person responsible but I think he has a special interest in this. I would like to work with him in some capacity on this issue because I think he cares and we could work together, going forward. It is absolutely vital. It is really important and I really believe in this Bill. I ask everybody here today to vote against the timed amendment.”
“Even though I know we are hearing different things from councillors and some said to me that they would love some legal advice and some said they would like more pay, this is just a very simple Bill that could be passed in the next few months and that would really validate the work councillors do. Unfortunately, I will not agree with the amendment for this. It is important. I will wait until after task force issue its report to table Committee Stage. That is what I will do. I will table Committee Stage after the task force but I cannot agree with the amendment today. I have to vote against this timed amendment today because I just cannot agree with it. I do not think it is right or helpful for us in our work, going forward, which is why I cannot agree. However, I would like to work with the Minister of State.”
“I remember meeting her for the first time and she told me about how she was trying to help a woman get a Christmas turkey and toys for her children. It is unbelievable stuff. I genuinely think it is really important they get everything they need. This could be something in the meantime, alongside what the local democracy task force is doing, which is really important. I want to highlight that we actually did a survey that was issued to councillors when I sent out the emails. We got 110 respondents and 97% of respondents said they really want administrative assistance and it would be extremely helpful. I want to put that on the record as well.”
“Councillor Andy Maloney down in Tipperary is another unbelievable legend. Legends is what I would call these councillors. They dedicate their lives to their communities. The work they do in their communities is beyond belief. I have never been a councillor myself and I do not know how they do it. I know some Senators here have been councillors and I commend every single one of them who have been. I absolutely commend them because I saw the work councillors do. They are not only legally helping people, they are trying to get housing for people, get health sorted for people and they are therapists for people. They listen to people. They try to source things for people. I remember meeting with a Fianna Fáil Senator, Imelda Goldsboro, who is here now.”
“I went through everything the local democracy task force is doing and I was blown away by the work that AILG and LAMA are doing, as well as others who are involved, such as the Department, the Minister and others. I wanted to put that on the record that I was actually quite offended by what was said. I agree with what everybody else here said today in that there have to be many more supports, going forward. Senator Kyne gave a list of things and I think they need more pensions, more pay and more legal advice. As Senator Keogan said, it is a full time job. I have been going around the country and met with amazing councillors. Councillor Joe Malone, who is a good friend of mine, was probably one of the first councillors I ever met when I started my campaign back in 2016.”
“I am concerned about that and I wanted to say that. This is a very simple Bill. It is very simple. It would really support councillors, not only by supporting them in the work they do but also by validating the work they do. I actually take offence to what Senator Kelleher said. What he said was disgraceful in the sense that he implied we are disregarding the local democracy task force. I absolutely do not disregard it. I had long conversations with AILG. I have spoken with LAMA about this. It came into the briefing last week, supported it and actually said it would complement the work the local democracy task force is doing. I 100% agree with all of that work is going on and I think it is fantastic.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his genuine and very kind response to our legislation. I wish I could say the same about some of his colleagues here, but anyway, I will come back to the timed amendment piece. I have to bring that up again. It is becoming a regular feature and I am worried about it. It is being used in how the Government engages with legislation in this Seanad. As I said earlier, it is cynically undermining our parliamentary work going forward. It blocks us from doing the real work we want to do.”
“They deserve and are entitled to be supported to perform their important functions with adequate pay, fair working conditions and with a level of policy advice and administrative help that recognises their elected mandates. This Bill would go some way to support councillors and has the potential to revitalise, renew and rebuild local democracy in Ireland. We should take advantage of this important opportunity and we should not delay it. I commend the Bill to the House.”
“Can you imagine the difficulties and challenges we would face without the critical support they provide? That is the everyday reality of our councillors right now. It has to change. If we vote against the timed amendment this evening, the Seanad can send an important message to all Ireland's councillors that we believe their work to be critical and that they play a vital role in Irish democracy that is worth supporting. We would be saying that they are entitled to, at a minimum, the same administrative support in terms of staffing given to all other elected public representatives in Ireland, including all of us. We all know the vital role councillors play in their local communities and in service of the public interest.”
“The Bill would amend the Local Government Act 2001 to extend an entitlement to the same administrative support that we receive as Oireachtas Members to each elected member of every local authority in the State. The definition of "administrative support" is taken to mean exactly as that contained in the Houses of the Oireachtas Act which governs our scheme for secretarial assistance in Leinster House. The Minister for housing and local government would be required to adopt a new scheme akin to the scheme for secretarial assistance to allow local councillors to employ support staff to assist in the performance of their elected duties. All of us in this House know the invaluable role our Seanad office staff play in our work. We know this place would grind to a halt without them.”
“As we all know, local councillors across the country are doing extremely hard work, representing large geographical electoral areas containing thousands of constituents, often without any administrative support at all, barring a small allowance in which secretarial support is one category of many. Councillors must contend with issues of huge technical and social complexity and a large volume of correspondence, all the while being the face of politics and democracy in their local communities. This is where this Bill comes in. If passed, this Bill empowers the Minister for housing and local government to ensure that each member of every local authority across the country would be entitled to the same level of staffing support that we receive as Oireachtas Members.”
“Women For Election previously found that a key barrier in decision making for female candidates to run and for women councillors to remain is the absence of real administrative support for councillors juggling personal and professional responsibilities. My Bill is offered as one part of the package of reforms that are needed to address these many structural challenges. Amazing stuff came out of the Seanad consultation committee. We learned so much. This is only one little thing. I really want this to work and I thought we would get support from everybody here today. I really thought this was a simple Bill. My Bill is offered as one part of the package of reforms.”
“Increased expectations on councillors have also been matched by a trend of increasing removal of powers from elected members, as demonstrated by the library and research paper that informed our hearings. There have been many reports, studies and publications in recent years related to the need for a change to the status quo for local councillors. In the independent review of the role of remuneration of local authority elected members published by the Department of housing and local government in June 2020, Sarah Moorhead SC made it clear that there is huge demand among councillors for greater administrative support as a key measure to support their important elected functions and to retain new councillors in the longer term.”
“In this context, my Bill is a simple and straightforward proposal with a single objective: to allow local councillors to hire administrative staff to support their important work as elected officials. We all know current expectations on councillors are huge. I see it daily. It is unrealistic and it is growing. During the Seanad's Public Consultation Committee' s 2024 hearings on the future of local democracy, it was clear that change to the level and breadth of support available to councillors is desperately needed. Our report made several recommendations related to the clear need to provide better pay conditions and wraparound supports to councillors and candidates for local election, particularly for women and those from minority backgrounds.”
“However, the role of the councillor in recent decades, and particularly in the 21st century, has transformed, with increasing expectations that are extreme, intense and growing. Moreover the salaries and supports given to councillors have not changed to match this extraordinary change and evolution in the role. Serving as an elected member of a local authority is no longer a part-time job, especially with the advent of social media that causes greater expectations regarding the availability of councillors to respond to constituents' queries. Increased expectations on councillors come in the context of the massive decline of over 600 local representatives since the abolition of town councils in 2014. The status quo is putting extraordinary pressure on all our councillors, their families, mental health and livelihoods.”
“I must thank Emma and Seb in my office for their work on the Bill and the many councillors who have contacted me and others here to express their strong support, and not forgetting Robbie as well. I want to say a special thanks to Senator Ruane because at the very beginning it was her idea. We are all too aware in this House of the extraordinary pressures faced by local councillors around the country. We all know that the Seanad has a particular relationship with our local councillors. Many of us work with councillors every day or have previously served as elected members of local government. The role that councillors play in their local communities is invaluable because they put a familiar face on political decision-making and democracy more generally.”
“I am particularly disappointed in the Fine Gael Senators who attended the audiovisual room briefing that I hosted last week with representatives from LAMA and the AILG. After listening to what councillors had to say about the need for and importance of this Bill, they all made commitments, including a commitment to support this legislation today. They said it there in front of LAMA and the AILG. I hope they can see sense and vote against the timed amendment today because I do not see how they can support this legislation and also support delaying its progression through the House. Having said all that, I will speak about why I have introduced this Bill and why it is so urgently necessary.”
“To be absolutely clear, I am willing to work with the Minister and the Department to work out how the Bill could best be made operational, to figure out any necessary amendments and to engage thoroughly on the content of the Bill before Committee Stage. The timed amendment is simply not necessary. The legislative process allows for the time needed to make any changes the Government deems necessary to make the Bill implementable. Delaying it is a signal of intent from the Minister that he wants to put this Bill on the long finger and Government Senators should not accept it. I understand all about the task force, but I think this will work closely with the task force. In speaking to the AILG, they agreed with me on that.”
“This legislation is urgently needed for councillors to be able to perform their functions to the best of their ability. The use of timed amendments has become a regular feature of how the Government engages with legislation in the Seanad and it is cynically undermining our parliamentary work. I have been waiting seven years for the occupied territories Bill. That Bill passed Second Stage seven or eight years ago and I am still waiting because we had a timed amendment then. Here we are still in that situation. Such amendments are designed so that the Government can delay legislation and people in Government parties will not be seen to vote against something they believe in and care about.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Before I start, I welcome Councillor Joe Malone, from the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, who is in the Gallery this evening. I thank LAMA and the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, for attending the briefing that I hosted here last week and all those who attended. I am delighted to move the Local Government (Support for Elected Members) Bill 2024 on Second Stage in the Seanad today. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Civil Engagement Group, Senators Ruane, Flynn and Higgins, for co-sponsoring the Bill and for agreeing to use our Private Members' time for this important issue. However, I am extremely disappointed that the Government has tabled a timed amendment to the Bill. A delay of 12 months is simply not acceptable.”
“What I am confused about is the 72 hours and the 48 hours. I asked about introducing a 72-hour maximum stay for emergency situations because it would be a very good compromise. Is the Minister of State saying this should be reduced to 48 hours? Is this going to be in the legislation? This is what I am asking.”
“I am a bit confused and I ask the Minister of State to bear with me. Before I speak about my confusion, I have heard what the Minister of State is saying about emergencies and about the anxiety and worry about the children. As a mother and a grandmother I would love to see child-centred mental health infrastructure. This is my dream. It is very important. If we had the proper staffing and the proper crisis response systems that ensured timely access to appropriate care, and if we could put those safeguards for children into the legislation, it would be the beginning of something. I do not want this to sound like pie in the sky because I do not believe it is. I would also like to hear a little bit about independent advocacy. I would like to hear the Minister of State's own thoughts on the importance of this.”
“She has spoken to clinicians. We know the fear for children who have to go into such a place must be horrific. Having an independent advocate by their side is absolutely vital. I hope she will consider the amendments relating to the 72-hour period and an independent advocate.”
“Some of the proposed amendments allow for absolute emergency exceptions and suggest a 72-hour maximum stay with an active transfer obligation. This offers a major compromise. It should never be the case that a child is waiting more than three days to be transferred to an age-appropriate unit. The Minister of State has stated that she does not want to tie the hands of clinicians by legislating to prohibit the placement of children adult psychiatric units. However, introducing a 72-hour maximum stay for absolute emergency situations represents a balanced and reasonable compromise. Is that something that the Minister of State might consider? We must not forget advocacy for children. Independent advocacy for children will be important. Having a friendly person children feel safe with is important, as the Minister of State knows.”
“I know huge progress has been made because of the Minister of State. There is no doubt about that. However, legal safeguards are still needed and that is the concern. While the number of children placed in adult units has significantly declined in recent years, which is, no doubt, because the Minister of State is sitting in the seat, there is a risk of regression without legal prohibition, in particular if no Minister is actively watching these numbers as closely as the Minister of State is. Alongside investing in child-centred mental health infrastructure, staffing and crisis response systems that ensure timely access to appropriate care, we have to include safeguards for children in the legislation.”
“I wish to highlight what I said yesterday around the fact that even though the Minister of State has reduced the numbers of children going into adult units and she done a lot of work on that, my concern is that if it is not in this legislation that future Ministers will not abide and will not put in the same amount of work and effort. That is why it is important to have it in this legislation. It might be something that the Minister of State may consider going forward.”
“I agree with Senators Boyhan and Stephenson. The Minister of State is aware that adult units are inappropriate. She knows it is potentially harmful for children. We all know these settings are not designed to meet the development and the emotional or safeguarding needs of those young people. Placements in such environments even briefly can be frightening, isolating and traumatic, especially during a mental health crisis. As others have said, the practice violates international human rights standards. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has explicitly called for an end to this practice. Ireland is signatory to the convention. It has to reflect that commitment in law and service delivery.”
“We need to make the arts more visible and more accessible to all, and access to infrastructure is the first step in doing that. Too often, artists are just dismissed as hobbyists. This world seems to get darker every day, and the light they bring to our lives is now more important than ever. We really need our artists and our musicians valued in this country. Simple artists' spaces just for them to be creative and innovative are really important. I will push this matter in the House over the next few months.”
“There are specific examples the Government should look at in the cases of the artists in Ormond Art Studios and the Complex. An obvious example is 114-116 Capel Street, which is council owned and could provide adequate space to reaccommodate artists who have lost their spaces. The Debtors' Prison on Halston Street, currently owned by the OPW, is a space that is crying out for some imagination and initiative to be put into use. We need to be more imaginative and the initiative needs to be there to put it into use. We need to think about innovative ways to weave cultural practitioners into the fabric of their local communities. We need to think about the wider use of vacant buildings and vacant ground-floor flat units.”
“I am disappointed. The reality of the situation is that we have seen at least 36 closures of independent arts spaces in Dublin since 2000 and that very few new spaces have been opened to replace them. While I obviously welcome the cultural capital scheme and the artists' workspaces scheme, it really is not at the scale it needs to be to meaningfully respond to the barriers artists and musicians face in trying to find studio and performance space. I highlight the positive examples of local authorities that have brought unused templates as to what the State can achieve if the Government just gives artists and musicians the space they need. It really will benefit not just the artists and the musicians themselves but also the wider public and will provide foundations for the growth of vibrant cultural communities that give life to our towns.”
“There is an urgent need for the State to expand this type of provision of publicly owned cultural space. I hope the Minister will be able to provide some information on how the Department plans to go about that.”
“Are there any supports in place for artists being evicted from Ormond Art Studios and The Complex, and is the Minister intervening in this situation on their behalf? The precarity of private rental markets have left them and many others without access to studio space. One solution could be local authorities and other State bodies like the OPW use currently unoccupied buildings to accommodate artists who have lost their workspace. An excellent and successful example of local authority-owned facilities being used for cultural purpose is the old school of music on Chatham Row, which now provides affordable studio space to over 60 artists and community art collectives. It contains a workshop space and a gallery performance space in the heart of the city.”
“Unfortunately, there has been no contact or response for the past two years. The Tivoli space is an example of how bad the private market is at providing arts and cultural spaces. The plight of the artists in Ormond Art Studios and The Complex is another symptom of the same problem. Each case highlights the extreme precarity of cultural infrastructure in Dublin and throughout the entire country. In April this year, Praxis, The Artists Union of Ireland published a survey on artist working spaces in Ireland. Over 40% of respondents had considered leaving Ireland to find more affordable working spaces, and fewer than half of respondents were currently renting a studio, the main reasons being affordability and availability.”
“The Tivoli Theatre, one of my favourite theatres, was demolished in 2019 to be replaced by a hotel, after having operated continuously as a cultural space for 85 years as a music venue, theatre, cinema and nightclub. These are the places that bring vibrancy and life to our towns and cities. One of the planning conditions relating to the redevelopment of the Tivoli site was that it would retain a performance and exhibition space, which is still not in use, despite ongoing engagement from artists to convince the current operator to utilise the space. In 2023, artists Eve Woods and Aoife Ward hosted an exhibition in the space to illustrate how unfinished it was. The walls are still unclad and there is no toilet. A young artist I know very well, who is a good friend of mine, contacted Staycity and offered to run the art space for free.”
“Artists and musicians in Ireland are facing an emergency in terms of their access to studio and performance spaces. There is a critical shortage across the country. This was highlighted by the announcement last week of the closures in Dublin of Ormond Art Studios, which is a self-organised visual arts studio, and The Complex, which is the only multidisciplinary gig venue of its kind in the capital, containing a gallery, theatre, music venue and artist studios. Losing spaces like this have devastating impacts on musicians' and artists' development in the formation of cultural communities and access to cultural events for the wider public. There have been at least 36 closures of independent art spaces in Dublin since 2000. Very few new spaces have opened to replace them and we have lost some historic venues during this period.”
“The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has constantly noted the need to consider the psychosocial elements of mental health difficulties. With that in mind, why would there be a refusal to include a reference to the wider psychosocial care team, such as peer advocates?”
“I support these amendments. It is very important that psychologists are included on the list of healthcare professionals. It is also really important that the wider psychosocial care team is recognised. It is important to recognise the need for psychosocial care and not just simple healthcare. Mental health cannot be understood or addressed solely through a medical lens. While that is obviously very important, it is not the complete picture. Many of the challenges that people face are deeply rooted in a wide range of social, emotional and environmental factors including, as my colleague has said, trauma, poverty, housing insecurity and social exclusion. Why are psychologists not listed under the definition of "mental healthcare professional" when other professions are specifically named?”
“The language felt belittling, discouraging, and deeply damaging to my sense of self. This is so belittling. It is almost taking somebody's rights away from them. People who have had lived experience do not want this term. It would be great if the Minister of State would consider that going forward.”
“I pay tribute to Dr. Fiona Morrissey. She really engaged when we were doing pre-legislative scrutiny on the Bill. Fiona Walsh is here also. I pay huge tribute to her. This came up when we were doing pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill a few years ago. We heard that people with lived experience find the term "mental disorder" deeply stigmatising. I will quote from a recent briefing in the audiovisual room. This was one of the lived experiences: Words carry immense influence, and the labels we use can have serious consequences. Being described as having a mental disorder immediately suggests to me that there is something fundamentally flawed within my mind. Throughout my experiences, hearing repeatedly that I was suffering from a mental disorder or "a chemical imbalance" left me confused and distressed.”