Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The task force is focused on women's health and building capacity in the system for women's health, including mental health, but is not working specifically in response to Covid, for which the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is leading a lot of initiatives. There was funding in parallel with the winter plan and a wellness initiative was launched last week. There has been a huge increase in calls and in texts to the support lines. We do not have very up-to-date data, but the figures we have for suicide and self-harm have not gone up. That may change in more recent data. The numbers asking for help have increased across the country. The task force is engaged with over 1,000 people and organisations representing women and girls across the country. It did the listening exercise and I might share some of its findings in writing with the Deputy.

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