Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)

There is certainly a crisis in men's health and it is great that we are having this discussion today. It is quite an historic occasion. A recent report for the South East Technological University, SETU, revealed that 40% of male deaths that occurred before the age of 75 were premature and many were preventable.

County Wexford ranks second in this State in terms of premature male mortality rates per county. This could affect someone's husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle or nephew and, of course, me or anybody here. The leading causes of death among Irish men are coronary heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, lung cancer and, of course, suicide. These are not just numbers. They represent lives cut short, families devastated and communities left grieving. Cancer, particularly prostate cancer, remains a major concern. Neoplasms or tumours, cysts, etc., are the leading cause of death among men, yet early detection rates remain low. We must ask why this is this the case. Respiratory diseases, often linked to lifestyle factors, are claiming lives at alarming rates.

Perhaps most concerning is the state of mental health. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among young men in Ireland. Four out of five suicides involve men. Why is this not viewed as an emergency? Are men's lives expendable? Why is this the first time in the history of the Oireachtas apparently that we have had this discussion in Leinster House? That tells us something. Depression, anxiety and substance abuse are widespread, yet in 2025, when we are supposed to be a very enlightened society, the stigma continues causing those who need the services most to suffer in silence. Too many men delay seeking medical attention until it is too late.

Service gaps are leaving men behind. It is certainly evident in the constituency of Wicklow-Wexford. Trojan work is being done by a number of community-based groups such as Talk to Tom but they have never received one cent of statutory funding, even though they have saved numerous live across the south east. The Samaritans in Arklow are under pressure. They are renting a premises. These services should be State-funded. There is a real shortage of male-specific counselling and outreach programmes and many men still view their symptoms as minor complaints that they do not want to trouble a doctor with, so we have very low engagement.

Men in poorer areas are 150% more likely to die before the age of 75 than those in wealthier communities. We need to target services properly and we need proper targeted awareness campaigns, better access to screening and mental health services and a cultural shift that encourages people to seek help. We must empower our GPs because they are often the first port of call in a storm. One GP quoted in the report said, "97% of us spoke to a man with suicidal thoughts last year, but only 14% felt confident supporting him", which is quite worrying. We need to invest in preventative care and dismantle the stigma because behind every statistic is a story and behind every story is a life we need to save.

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