Mental Health Act 2026 signed into law by President Connolly
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
- Mental Health Act 2026 heralds new era in Mental Healthcare in Ireland, ensuring people will have a voice and choice in their own care and treatment
- Work now underway to commence the new Act including the development of new standards to regulate CAMHS for the first time
Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly, has today signed the Mental Health Act 2026 into law, following consideration of the Bill that completed all stages in the Oireachtas last week.
Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, has today welcomed the enactment of the new Mental Health Act:
“This Act has been a professional and personal priority for me since I took up office as Minister for Mental Health. I am so proud to see the Mental Health Act 2026 signed into law today, after years of drafting, consultation and debate. I believe this Act represents the right balance between all the various perspectives to ensure a person-centred and human rights approach to mental health care in Ireland.”
“This Act represents a new era for Ireland’s Mental Health services. We are introducing a range of additional safeguards for people accessing mental health services, better protecting their rights and ensuring that people will have a voice and choice in their own care and treatment. The new Act will also see all community mental health services, including residential services and community CAMHS, registered and regulated for the first time in the history of the State.”
Regarding the commencement of the new Act, Minister Butler said:
“There are a number of significant changes in the 268-section Act that our mental health services will need to adapt to. As the Act becomes law, work has already begun to commence the legislation. This includes the drafting of secondary legislation, the development of additional training and education for professionals working under the new Act, and awareness-raising of the changes for people accessing services under the Act. I want to see the Act commenced at the earliest opportunity, and I will be seeking additional funding in the Estimates process for 2027 to put in place the necessary resources to make the new Mental Health Act a success.”
The Minister concluded:
“I am very proud to see the Mental Health Act 2026 reach this milestone. Today will be remembered as an important day in the history of Irish Mental Health services, and I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved in bringing the Act into law. I look forward to commencing the Mental Health Act 2026 as soon as possible and ensuring that the rights of people accessing Mental Health services are fully vindicated while receiving the highest possible quality of care.”
Notes to Editor:
The purpose of the Bill is:
- To revise and improve the experience of people who are involuntarily admitted to an acute mental health setting.
- To provide new safeguards for those people, and to introduce a revised approach to consent to treatment, ensuring that people have more of a say in decisions about their treatment.
- To grant new powers to the Mental Health Commission to regulate all community mental health services, including community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
- To provide in statute, a dedicated Part of the Bill that relates exclusively to the care and treatment of children and young people in acute mental health settings including allowing 16 and 17 year olds to consent to mental health treatment on the same basis as physical health care.
- The Mental Health Bill was published in July 2024, concluded all stages of the Dail in July 2025, concluded all stages in the Seanad in April 2026 and finished report-back to the Dáil on 29 April 2026.
- Minister Butler and Department of Health officials continued to consult extensively with key stakeholders about the Bill throughout the legislative process. This consultation directly informed the almost 800 Government amendments to the Bill.
Among the most significant of these amendments are:
- Changes to the consent to treatment provisions for adults to ensure that people have access to treatment where they lack decision-making capacity and do not have a relevant substitute decision-maker.
- Changes to the process of involuntary admission and treatment of children, including the prohibition of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) to those under 18.
- The introduction of two new sections empowering the Mental Health Commission to regulate pharmacological restraint.
- Additional safeguards have been introduced throughout the Bill, including to the criteria for involuntary admission, and consent to treatment for adults and children.