Electro-convulsive therapy for those under 18 will be prohibited under amendments to the mental health Bill to be considered by Cabinet on Wednesday.
Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will seek Cabinet approval for 300 amendments to be introduced at the Seanad committee stage of the Bill.
The amendments address technical issues in the Bill as well as other problems that have been raised.
Among them are measures prohibiting electroconvulsive therapy to those under 18, as well as introducing the ability for the District Court to act as a substitute decision maker on behalf of children in cases where it is not possible to ascertain parental consent or refusal of treatment.
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The Seanad committee stage will commence next Tuesday. The legislation aims to improve the experiences of people involuntarily admitted to an acute mental health setting and introduce new safeguards, including a revised approach to consent to treatment.
Amendments are also being brought forward in relation to the small number of adults involuntarily admitted to an acute mental health unit and who lack the capacity to consent to treatment. New amendments will require admission or treatment to be likely to “materially benefit” the condition of a person, rather than “benefit”.
Also at Cabinet, Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan will seek approval for plans to give customers a legal right to exit their mobile and broadband contracts without financial penalties if their provider proposes increases to monthly or annual charges. The move targets in-contract price increases, which means monthly bills increase by several euros a month after 12 months, with customers facing financial penalties for moving providers.
Providers will have to give a minimum of 30 days’ notice before price increases, during which time the consumer can exit the contract without a penalty.
Meanwhile, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan is to seek Cabinet approval for reforms to the State’s immigration system. These include the introduction of accommodation fees for some in direct provision and new barriers to citizenship for people with refugee status who do not pay them or who have claimed welfare payments.
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Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke will seek Cabinet approval to stand up a flooding scheme for Wexford in the aftermath of Storm Claudia. Up to €20,000 will be available for businesses affected who have not been able to source insurance, with an effort to get it to firms before the busy Christmas period.
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless will brief Cabinet on the launch of a €750 million research infrastructure programme, called Inspire. It aims to back industries like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors, among others. It will open in the first quarter of next year.
Minister for Housing James Browne will seek approval to publish legislation allowing people affected by defective concrete blocks to apply for increased grants, as well as giving a longer window for completion of remediation works.
It will also alter the current system by allowing someone who was in a relationship with a property owner to be classified as a relevant owner for the purposes of the scheme. It will also allow, in some limited circumstances, the construction of adjacent dwellings to the affected property, given that some vulnerable owners and family members can struggle to find alternative accommodation.
