Nicole Ryan
Administrative Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“This is not just happening in my area; it is also happening in other places where estates are not being taken in charge and, therefore, residents do not know who to call if something happens. They are left alone. Tanyard Wood is unique because nobody has taken charge of the estate for ten years.”
“By 2007, the developer had gone bust and therefore, Cork County Council submitted an appeal to take charge of the estate. It has been almost ten years and it still has not taken charge of the estate. It sits in no man's land. The estate has not been maintained. No proper maintenance at all is happening.”
“It means that cancer patients in the mid-west have virtually no opportunity to access clinical trials. Accident and emergency access, dentistry and now access to clinical trials for cancer patients - how did we get to this point?”
“I will speak briefly on amendments Nos. 39 and 41. Amendment No. 39 is quite straightforward. It ensures that applicants are clearly informed of two fundamental rights within their international protection process.”
“At the core, the amendment is about ensuring individuals entrusted with supporting some of the most vulnerable children in our system are properly trained, suitable for the role and held to appropriate standards.”
“We need clear timelines. Interim measures are required to ensure residents are not left feeling unsafe or conditions are allowed to deteriorate while progress drags on. People bought homes in the area in good faith.”
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“We have been told that HIQA concluded its report and that vaccinations for adults aged 50 and over would not be an efficient use of HSE resources. As clearly outlined in the motion, HIQA modelled a broader cohort than NIAC recommended. The Department cannot credibly claim that NIAC recommended a programme that is not cost-effective when it has never been individually modelled. We in Sinn Féin have called for action on this issue since last summer, alongside calls for progress on shingles, RSV and broader adult immunisation. We welcomed the introduction of the free chickenpox vaccination. We were clear then, and are clear again now, that the Minister must also act on shingles and RSV because prevention saves money. More importantly, it saves people's lives from pain, loss of independence and a declining quality of life.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Senator Conway not only spoke; he was really fantastic. We thank him for bringing this motion forward because Sinn Féin supports it. We know shingles is not a rare condition. It affects one in three people during their lifetime. For many adults, especially older adults with a weakened immune system, it is not a short-term illness. It has a lot of side-effects that continue as they age. Despite this, we have been told, as Senator Conway pointed out, that the cost of the vaccine is up to €500, which is quite expensive. For many older people who may be in receipt of the State pension or on a fixed income, it is simply not tenable to pay that. That is a real barrier to healthcare at an older age. It should not be that way.”
“We will engage constructively on the Bill but we will seek meaningful amendments on Committee Stage because effective policing and civil liberties are not opposing values. Rather, they depend on each other.”
“These included increasing the Garda training allowance to the equivalent of the minimum wage, expanding capacity at the Garda Training College, introducing a return-to-policing grant, allowing faster progression up the pay scale and other measures. These are practical, achievable measures that would stabilise Garda numbers, reduce over-reliance on overtime, and improve community safety. Sinn Féin welcomes the long-overdue codification of Garda powers in the Bill, but ours is not uncritical support. The legislation must be strengthened on Committee Stage, particularly regarding journalistic privilege and oversight. Garda powers must be exercised in a framework that robustly protects constitutional rights, press freedom and public confidence in policing.”
“Anything less risks chilling investigative journalism and undermining press freedom in this State. The Second Stage debate on the Bill also provides an opportunity to speak about the broader reality facing An Garda Síochána. Communities across the State are experiencing reduced Garda visibility, fewer community gardaí, and stretched resources, particularly in rural areas. Response times are increasing and Garda morale is under severe strain. Sinn Féin has consistently raised the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána. Last autumn, our justice spokesperson, Deputy Matt Carthy, published a comprehensive set of proposals to address this crisis.”
“Similarly, the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Landeck judgment made clear that prior independent authorisation was required before accessing personal data on electronic devices. Under the Bill, however, gardaí may obtain search warrants without the District Court being explicitly empowered to consider journalistic privilege before granting the warrant. In many other jurisdictions, including the North, courts are required to determine whether journalistic privilege applies in advance, not after the damage is done. The Bill must be amended to explicitly recognise journalistic privilege in statute, require a court hearing on privilege before a warrant is granted, and empower the District Court to fully consider source protection at the point of application.”
“Codifying Garda powers is only half the job; ensuring they are exercised consistently, proportionately and lawfully is the other half. The most serious concern we have with the Bill relates to journalistic privilege. Despite recent Supreme Court and EU case law, the Bill fails to explicitly recognise the right of journalists to protect their confidential sources. The Supreme Court was unequivocal in Corcoran v. Commissioner of An Garda Síochána in 2023. Mr. Justice Hogan stated clearly that the "general protection of sources is integral to a free press" and that without that protection, journalists could not reasonably be expected to hold power to account in the manner required by Article 40.6.1° of the Constitution.”
“New oversight structures are now in place, including the Policing and Community Safety Authority, PCSA, which became operational in 2025, and Fiosrú, which replaced the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC. The PCSA's first assessment of An Garda Síochána, published in December, raised deeply concerning issues, particularly around recruitment and retention, the lack of an effective performance management system, delays in introducing in-career vetting and drug testing, and serious inconsistencies in how domestic violence cases were handled in Garda divisions. Against this backdrop, it is essential that the PCSA rigorously monitor the use of the expanded stop and search powers and arrest powers provided for in this Bill.”
“We also welcome the placing on a statutory footing of the right to consult a solicitor before and during Garda questioning, and the move towards the electronic recording of interviews. These are long overdue reforms that strengthen due process and protect suspects and Garda members. This Bill is necessary, but it is not without flaws. I am sure the Minister knows this, given how he has mentioned that he will table amendments on Committee Stage. When we talk about Garda powers, we must always talk about oversight and accountability. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland was clear that stronger powers must be matched by stronger accountability.”
“Sinn Féin recognises the importance of this legislation. The Bill seeks to codify Garda powers of stop and search, arrest, detention, searches and seizures, which is something that should have been done many years ago. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland made this recommendation back in 2018, yet we are only debating this legislation eight years later. This delay speaks volumes about how slowly justice reform moves in this State. Clarity in policing powers is not a luxury, but essential. Clear, transparent and legally robust powers protect the public and gardaí and underpin trust in policing. In this regard, Sinn Féin welcomes the codification of powers that were previously scattered across more than a dozen separate pieces of legislation and replaces them with clearer, more coherent provisions.”
“I am calling on the Leader to ask the Government to have a debate in this House on flooding, flooding preparedness and unequal response experienced by communities across the State. People deserve better than reactive policies when their homes and their lives are at risk.”
“The Minister for housing sought to blame Met Éireann but, with respect, kids in glass houses should not throw stones. The real question is to ask why the Government has failed to put in proper comprehensive flood relief schemes in places across the country. This is no longer just a coastal issue. Even dense inland areas are now expecting flooding. In my own area of Millstreet, which is well inland, we are beginning to see repeated flooding events affecting people’s homes. This would have been unthinkable years ago. Flooding is not a once-off emergency. It is the reality of climate change and it demands proper planning, investment and fairness across the whole country.”
“Too often it feels like when the flooding is a little too close to home or too close to Dublin the carpets are rolled out but when it happens elsewhere communities are left waiting. When Storm Éowyn hit the west, Connemara was devastated. Places like Clifden and Carna suffered enormous damage yet those communities waited months for proper meaningful assistance. The urgency just was not there. We see the pattern elsewhere. Cork city floods regularly. We know it will flood yet time and again there is a last-minute scramble to protect the city rather than having long-term resilient solutions. Look at Midleton. Although the relief scheme is finally being put in place, it will take years to implement. It is full of interim measures at the moment.”
“I want to raise the issue of flooding and the State’s response to it. What we have seen in Enniscorthy and the surrounding areas in recent days has been horrific. People’s homes have been destroyed, their livelihoods wiped out and families left traumatised. I genuinely hope the Government steps in quickly and meaningfully to support those affected because people cannot be left to pick up the pieces on their own. However, this disaster opens a much wider and more uncomfortable conversation about how the State responds to flooding in this country. Ireland has a wet climate - that is not news to anybody. Heavy rainfall is not an unexpected event yet time and again flooding is treated as a surprise and something that needs to be reacted to rather than planned for.”
“It has been a phenomenal experience for me to keep up with everything. It has been a fantastic learning opportunity, but equally, it has been a fantastic debate. I do not know how the Leas-Chathaoirleach did it, having to beat through all those amendments and sections, but she did an amazing job. I thank the Minister of State. We look forward to coming back on Report Stage to continue this further and get it over the line eventually.”
“I will not take up much of the Minister of State's time. I know we are all looking to wrap this up. I thank her and her officials, as well as all the Senators for their contributions. This debate has been very respectful. All our debates are usually respectful. I do not think we have ever had one that was not. However, when you are talking about something so sensitive as mental health and people's well-being and mental well-being, it is very important we debate it in a respectful way. We are talking about real people, people every single day who are struggling, and some people today who may not make it to tomorrow. It is very important for us to have that debate. Equally, and I echo Senator Costello, the complexity and size of this Bill has taught me how to read Bills properly as a first-time Senator.”
“(2) The Executive shall, within 6 months after the end of each year, submit a report in writing to the Minister in relation to the aggregate needs identified by services on the basis of information collected in accordance with subsection (1) including an indication of the periods of time ideally required for the provision of the services, the sequence of such provision and an estimate of the cost of such provision. (3) A report under this section shall include such other information in such form and regarding such matters as the Minister may direct and shall be published by the Executive within one month of the date of its submission to the Minister.”.”
“I move amendment No. 348: In page 153, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “ 181. (1) The Executive shall keep and maintain records for the purposes of— (a) identifying persons to whom mental health services are being provided, (b) identifying those services and the persons providing the services pursuant to this Part, (c) specifying the aggregate needs identified by the services, (d) specifying the number of persons to whom services are not being provided or to whom they are not being provided in full, and (e) planning the provision of such services to persons.”
“The only reason for the cut was that we have a small catchment area. However, the number of people who get accredited there is the highest in Cork county. Are there funds for people who do not get the funding through the ETB? I am really delighted to hear that the Minister of State is happy to work with me on people’s cases. I reached out to her office before Christmas. I realise she is really busy but I will reach out again just to highlight a few of the cases to see what can be done about them. I appreciate the Minister of State’s engagement and thank her.”
“To clarify, the cuts in funding do not relate to the Minister of State’s Department because they relate to the ETB. The further education and training centre is registered and it gives out certificates. However, the first things cut were all the activities not associated with accreditation but related to mental health in the rural community, such as singing, dancing and knitting. Since no certificate was given for these, they were cut. This was the saddest thing to see because many people in the rural community just attend to meet friends. Later, they might go on to receive accreditation for various little courses. I was there to give out their certificates at Christmas and they were just so proud. It was so lovely to see older people finding new life, educating themselves and learning something new.”
“It is the remit of other Departments as well. This is when there is no service, especially in rural areas where people are isolated. For example, older people used to go to the Cork College of FET Millstreet Centre to sing but the funding for that was cut. It was a beautiful mental health support. It was not accredited and people did not get a certificate, but 30 of them showed up every week from across the constituency to sing. When people are talking to me about these kinds of thing in my constituency, it is hard for me to say that there is this much funding here but we are probably not going to see those services in our area because they are just not accessible to us. That is the point I am trying to get across, but I totally understand. I thank the Minister of State for her contribution.”
“-----and the work she has done. It is very difficult to go back to my constituency and the likes of Charleville, which has had so many deaths due to suicide in the past two to three years, and sit with the grandparents of the person who has been lost and say we have lots of funding, we just do not have services in the area for people and, unfortunately, the public transport that we have is not up to scratch for them to access the services in the city or Mallow. People often say to me that we have the Mallow primary healthcare centre and that it is fantastic. It is fantastic for the people around the area, but now we have accessibility issues. There are older people who may not be able to get there and timetabled transport services do not run. There is a myriad of issues. That is not just the Minister of State's remit.”
“This amendment places a clear statutory duty on the HSE to keep and maintain records for the purpose of identifying people receiving mental health supports, identifying the services being provided and by whom, specifying the needs identified by the services and identifying those who are not receiving services or are not receiving them in full. That is exactly what a modern public health system should be doing as standard. One of the most damaging features of the current system is that the unmet need is largely invisible. We can only work to what we can see but there is a whole cohort of people who cannot be reached for various reasons and suffer in silence. We all hear the anecdotes about the caseload and the families in crisis but we do not have a picture of what that looks like nationally. This amendment seeks to change that.”
“348 is concerned with enhancing the Minister of State's work. For a long time, mental health policy in the State has been built on partial information, fragmented reporting and an inability to say with clarity how many people need care, what care they need, where the gaps are and what it would cost to fix the system. We all know about the gaps in mental health services in our own areas. We hear about them all the time from people who come to us when they cannot access services or find it really difficult to do so for a variety of reasons. I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done in getting the system from where it was to where it is now. However, without statistics and numbers, I imagine it is very hard to do her job.”
“This amendment seeks to change that. It requires the Minister, within 12 months of the passing of the Act, to publish a five-year funding and implementation strategy for mental health services. Failure in regard to mental health services reform is not due to a lack of ideas. Everybody in this House has fantastic ideas and the Minister of State has done fantastic work. Reform fails because of a lack of delivery and slow implementation. Mental health services cannot just be built on annual budget cycles and one-off funding announcements. Our system sometimes operates on pilot projects, temporary streams, short-term allocations and stop-start reforms in different areas. This amendment seeks to move away from that chaos and put in place a planned and properly structured system. Amendment No.”
“I move amendment No. 337: In page 149, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: "5-year sharing the vision funding and implementation strategy 177. (1) The Minister shall, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, publish a five-year funding and implementation strategy for mental health services. (2) The strategy referenced in subsection (1) shall be reviewed annually by the Mental Health Commission. (3) The strategy shall place an emphasis on shifting care to community-based services as and where appropriate.". This amendment relates to the five-year funding and implementation strategy. For a long time, we have had procedures, strategies, action plans, instances of independent oversight and implementation timelines, but we have not had a binding and transparent multi-year implementation and funding strategy written into law.”
“It sends a clear message that crisis care belongs in the community and not just behind hospital doors. People in mental health crisis do not need to be automatically transported into an acute unit. Often they need immediate support, skilled assessment, practical intervention and follow-up care. Community-based services allow people to receive care in familiar surroundings close to family and supports. Internationally, mental health systems are moving away from institutionalised models and towards home-based care, community outreach, early intervention and multidisciplinary teams. This amendment aligns Irish law in that direction.”
“If it is defined clearly and expansively, it is a core pillar of the system. This amendment recognises that mental healthcare does not just happen in hospitals - it happens in homes, communities, crisis hubs, primary care centres, outreach services and mobile crisis teams and this is where people need most support. Crisis intervention teams are one of the most effective ways to prevent hospital admissions, de-escalate distress, support people in their own environments and reduce pressure on emergency departments yet too often these teams are treated as pilot projects rather than essential services. By explicitly including crisis intervention teams in the statutory definition of "community mental health services", this amendment embeds them into law, strengthens their standing and supports their expansion.”
“I move amendment No. 319: In page 124, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “ “community mental health services” means a mental health service which provides either urgent or routine care and treatment in a place other than a registered acute mental health centre or registered community mental health centre, including such services as crisis intervention teams.”. This amendment clarifies the definition of "community mental health services" so that it explicitly includes services providing "urgent or routine care and treatment" outside the registered acute mental health centres, including crisis intervention teams. The way we define services in legislation determines how they are funded, structured and prioritised. If a community mental health service is defined narrowly, it is treated as an add-on.”
“If genomics is to be routine and mainstream, the State must properly fund the laboratory services, equipment and workforce needed to deliver it. Sinn Féin supports this motion because it is grounded in patient outcomes, value for money and data protection. We also want to be clear that it requires political will, proper procurement reform and sustained capital investment. Patients with cancer, people living with rare and inherited conditions and families waiting years for answers cannot afford another delay. Words matter but delivery also matters and this is an area where Ireland can and should do better. The Government must move to acknowledge that action.”
“When we send the tests overseas, we lose a degree of control over how the data may be stored, governed or protected. By building domestic capacity, Ireland can uphold the highest standards of data governance and patient privacy, something that should be non-negotiable. The motion urges the Government to develop a co-ordinated national plan to achieve 50% in-country genomic testing by 2030. This is a reasonable, measured and achievable ambition but it is only achievable if it is backed by the right investment. The HSE has a genomics strategy that is referenced all of the time but strategies do not build laboratories, purchase sequencing equipment or recruit and retain the highly skilled staff who are needed.”
“We all know that time matters, and delays in genetic testing can mean delayed diagnoses, delayed treatment decisions, longer hospital stays and, in some cases, poor outcomes. This is particularly true in oncology where genetic profiling can determine whether a patient will respond to a specific therapy and in rare diseases where genomic sequencing can be the difference between years of uncertainty and finally having a diagnosis. I highlight Senator Costello's work on rare diseases. She has championed this issue and were it not for her, I would not know how to pronounce "givinostat". The absence of timely genetic testing is not an inconvenience; it is life-altering. The motion also rightly highlights the issue of data protection. Genomics data is almost the most sensitive personal data that exists.”
“I welcome the Minister. It is good to see her here. I welcome this motion and thank the Senators who brought it forward. Sinn Féin supports this motion because genomics is not some abstract or future-facing concept. It is already central to modernised healthcare from diagnostics to personalised medicine to population health planning. If we are serious about delivering better outcomes for patients, genomics and genetic testing must move from the margins of our system to the mainstream. Ireland sends approximately 20,000 genetic tests abroad every year to different countries. This reliance brings with it high shipping costs, long turnover times, fragmented delivery models and, in some cases, testing laboratories that are not EU accredited. This is not efficient, sustainable or patient centred.”
“It allows appropriately qualified mental health professionals to exercise statutory functions within their scope of practice rather than creating artificial legal barriers that slow down care. It ensures that where qualified professionals are competent to perform a function, they are not prevented from doing so by outdated or overly rigid legislative drafting. The standards remain high, but access becomes faster. Internationally, mental health legislation is moving away from narrow, doctor-only led models towards multidisciplinary, team-based care.”
“If the law says that only a consultant psychiatrist can carry out a practical function, when no consultant is available, the function simply cannot happen no matter how urgent the clinical need is. Modern mental health services are not consultant-led in isolation. Mental healthcare is delivered under multidisciplinary teams. As the Minister of State will be aware, there are psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social care professionals, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and many other specialist clinicians. These professionals are highly trained and highly regulated and already carry out many of the assessments, interventions and care planning functions across the system. This amendment recognises that reality.”
“I move amendment No. 313: In page 116, line 14, to delete “a consultant psychiatrist” and substitute “a qualified mental health professional”. This amendment proposes a simple but important change, namely, to replace the phrase "a consultant psychiatrist" with "a qualified mental health professional". It is not about downgrading standards but reflecting the modern clinical practice of multidisciplinary care and the reality of the workforce shortages. We all know consultant psychiatrists are in critically short supply. Across the State, there are long-standing vacancies. Posts cannot be filled and services are operating without permanent consultants and with an over-reliance on agency staff. That creates two serious problems, bottlenecks in care and delays in access to service for patients.”
“I move amendment No. 312: In page 112, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “(3) The Commission shall within 12 months publish a report on the quality and independence of complaints processes and make recommendations for the strengthening of such processes.”.”
“If we are modernising mental health law, we must modernise accountability at the same time. Public trust depends on accountability. The legitimacy of any mental health system depends on public trust. When people believe their voices will be ignored, they disengage. When families fell powerless, trauma deepens and when staff have no safe way of raising concerns, that risk escalates. A strong independent complaints system is for everyone and this amendment just legislates for that.”
“That is really not acceptable in a healthcare system, particularly in one that has coercive powers. Complaints are not a problem to be managed; they are really an early warning system for us. They tell us that patients feel unsafe and where dignity has been compromised. The amendment places the responsibility on the Mental Health Commission, the statutory regulator for mental health services. It requires it to examine the quality of the existing complaints process, to assess its independence and make recommendations to strengthen that. That is exactly where this work belongs. We need a national independent assessment of how complaints are handled across the system. The 12-month timeframe is deliberate. It ensures that there is no drift and that it is prioritised.”
“312 is about the rights of the service users and their families to raise concerns and to know those concerns will be heard, investigated and acted upon independently. We briefly touched on this throughout the debate. We feel that this is a necessary safeguard. Without a credible complaints system, rights only exist on paper. We ask people at their most vulnerable to trust the mental health services with their liberty, autonomy, dignity and sometimes even their lives. The trust must be earned, but it also has to be protected. Yet we know from service users, families, advocates and clinicians that the complaints processes are often confusing, inaccessible, slow, poorly communicated or not available at all. Many people simply do not complain because they fear repercussions or because the process feels intimidating and futile.”
“The transition from CAMHS to adult services is one of the most dangerous gaps in our mental health system. Young people do not suddenly become emotionally stable at the age of 18. Their vulnerability does not end on that birthday. That is why international best practice is moving towards a CYMHS model up to the age of 25. This amendment ensures the extension of CAMHS into a CYMHS model. It is not just talked about, but properly planned, costed and delivered. As the Minister of State knows best, young people have distinct clinical needs. This amendment requires the Minister of State to report on the development of youth mental health clinical speciality. It is something that clinicians, academics and service users have called for. Amendment No.”
“However, when we have ambition without workforce planning, it is not reform because we cannot legislate for new rights, services and clinical models without also legislating for how many clinicians are required, how much funding is needed and how long it will take to implement it. This amendment ensures the Minister of State will report progress towards extending CAMHS into a full CYMHS model up to the age of 25, the development of a youth mental health clinical speciality, the number of whole-time equivalent clinicians required to safely staff services and the amount of new additional funding needed to deliver timely access to care. If we do not have this information, we legislate in the dark. Every Member of this House knows the reality of CAMHS. We hear it all the time.”
“This amendment relates to one of the most important areas of mental health, which is the disconnect between legislation, service demand and the actual resources required to deliver safe care. We heard from different organisations on CAMHS and CAMHS services at this morning health committee meeting. I am sure the Minister of State has heard pieces herself. One thing they did not dispute was that there is legislation there. There are plans. That is all well and good. It is the implementation that is taking a long time. We all recognise that implementation does take a lot of time. The problem is that families are not seeing the implementation fast enough for some of their children. They fall through the cracks. When we look at the Bill, it sets out an ambitious reform agenda. That is down to the Minister of State.”
“I move amendment No. 311: In page 112, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(d) the progress towards and resource requirements for the extension of CAMHS towards a CYMHS for young people up to the age of 25, and the development of youth mental health clinical specialty, (e) the estimated number of whole-time equivalent clinicians to fully and safely staff public mental health services, and (f) the estimated level of new additional funding required to provide full and safe services with timely access to care.”.”
“Who has the oversight of these private providers and service providers that potentially could be Nua Healthcare or the likes? I worry about the ambiguity of the other place. That could be interpreted as any place.”
“I thank the Minister of State. It gave a little bit of clarity, but in terms of the other place, there is an unintended consequence of it at the moment because it leaves it too open to ambiguity. Who is to say that another place is not just some other place down the road? Essentially, the other place can be interpreted as anything you want. As for the service providers, the Minister of State mentioned Nua Healthcare and Barróg Healthcare. Loads of them provide services but who has the clinical oversight of those services if they are private? We have seen this in a case. As the Minister of State has responsibility for older people, she will know about the privatisation of nursing homes and all the scandals we have seen through that.”
“I seek clarity on the new sections 77 and 78. We are talking about members of staff of a registered acute mental health centre or a service provider. I ask the Minister of State to clarify what a service provider is. Section 78 deals with the detention of a child in a hospital or other place. I need clarity on this other place. In terms of access, is there a distance from where the family or caregiver is living to this other place? Regarding consent, who gives consent for the child to be in this other place? How is the supported decision-making done in this other place? Who is notified if something happens in this other place? Could this other place be abroad? Could the Minister of State give us some clarity on this other place and what a service provider is? If it is not the centre, where is the service provider?”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Maternity Protection Act 1994 to provide for postponement of maternity leave in the event of the death of a child of a relevant employee, and to provide for related matters.”
“I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, specifically that No. 11 be taken before No. 1 in order to put the Maternity Protection (Child Bereavement) (Amendment) Bill 2026 on the Order Paper. This Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Protection Act 1994 to allow a mother to pause her maternity leave in the event in the death of a child, giving her the flexibility over how and when she takes the leave for such a traumatic loss. While current legislation allows maternity leave to be postponed in cases of serious illness, this Bill extends the same compassion and commonsense to the cases of child bereavement. The Bill does not create additional leave, but allows existing entitlements to be taken at a more appropriate time, recognising that grief does not run on a timetable.”
“I move amendment No. 160: In page 71, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Appropriate environment 61. A child shall not be admitted to a registered acute mental health centre that is not approved for the admission of children.”. We have talked about this extensively at this point so I will make it quick. The work the Minister of State has done has been phenomenal in removing children from adult inpatient treatment centres. We are looking at balance and the Minister of State referred to balance in respect of amendments. This amendment is looking at that balance, so no child is admitted to a centre that is not child-approved. That is all we are asking with this amendment, just looking for that bit of balance here. That is all I am going to say. I thank the Minister of State.”