Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

I also pay tribute to the men's health campaigners who have worked so hard to get this issue debated in the House today. Again, I am shocked by the fact that this is the first time that we in Leinster House have had a debate solely on men's health. In many ways, the fact that we have not had the necessary focus on this issue is really telling.

A month ago, Movember launched The Real Face of Men's Health report. This is a significant milestone in the battle to save lives. The results are startling. It has been mentioned that premature death among men is 40% higher than it is among women. This is an astounding figure. It is a figure that should be in everybody's heads already. The fact that it is invisible is amazing.

Members know that economic circumstances play a massive role. The lives of men living in deprivation are, on average, five years shorter than men on upper incomes. It has to be mentioned that Traveller men have a life expectancy 15 years shorter than the average man, which is incredible. Deprivation is a significant player in this. Men in deprivation are 46% more likely to have a premature death than women in the same communities. A total of 66% of overdoses and accidental poisonings happen to men. Men suffer far more from addiction. Men suffer from the crisis of loneliness far more and, if we are honest, men are very unsure of their role in society at the moment. A total of 80% of traffic accidents happen to men. Approximately 80% of suicides involve men. I attended two funerals over the summer where men in their 50s committed suicide, leaving heartbroken families behind them. The rate of suicide among Travellers is six times higher than it is among the rest of the population. These are eye-watering figures. This is an emergency, an invisible one.

The truth is that these issues are fixable. I also offer support for making sure the key asks of The Real Face of Men's Health are implemented, in terms of the necessity for the report to be progressed, for necessary funding to be implemented and for a cost analysis to be developed. Education is necessary. I had cancer in the past five years and I have also had a stroke. Thank God, I had the necessary and speedy treatment to be able to deal with those issues but lots of men, for many reasons, do not access treatment and we need to educate them to do so. However, we also need the treatment to be there and, if we are honest, in many ways the treatment is not there, even when men seek to access it. Figures in the report show that only 14% of GPS are confident in helping men with suicidality. We need to tailor those services to the needs of men who are suffering.

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