Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

Today, for the first time in the history of the Dáil, we are giving men's health the attention it urgently deserves. Ireland led the world in 2009 with the first national men's health policy but the latest version of the report, The Real Face of Men's Health, shows we are at a crossroads. In 2022, 40.2% of all male deaths were premature. Men in the most deprived areas are 150% more likely to die before the age of 75 than those in affluent areas. The leading causes of this - heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, suicide and chronic respiratory diseases - are largely preventable. The economic cost of men's ill health exceeds €1 billion annually, of which €760 million is considered preventable. Heartbreakingly, four out of five deaths by suicides in Ireland involve males. Most of us in this House have been touched by suicide and those of us who have know the devastating effect it has on those left behind.

We need to do more for men who feel they cannot talk and that they have nowhere to go. These are preventable deaths. There needs to be more investment in services for men. Too many are dying by suicide.

This is not just about men. It is about families, communities and the future of our nation. We must act now. Movember calls for €10 million investment to implement the national men's health action plan and a cross-government strategy to address this crisis. Recently, a man who is not from my constituency, contacted me. His doctor told him he had a tumour in his head but he could not get a scan. This man pays for private health insurance, believe it or not. He was told he could be waiting weeks for the scan and he knew it was urgent. We worked with him to go to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast and he rang me after he had contacted the Belfast hospital, which had him up within a week, with a treatment plan started. It is not good enough, whether it is men's or women's health. However, we are talking about men's health and it is hard enough to get most men to doctors or hospitals. For them then to be told that they could be waiting weeks or months for a scan could cause unknown torment to their mental health.

The Irish Men's Sheds Association describes the sheds as places where the greatest tool is a kettle, emphasising the power of a chat over a cup of tea. It also supports national health campaigns such as sheds for life, which brings health checks, mental health, workshops and lifestyle advice directly into the shed. I give a shout-out to the men's sheds in west Cork, including in Bantry, Bandon, Castletownbere, Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Kinsale and Skibbereen. If people are in west Cork, I encourage them to pop into these men's sheds for a cuppa and a chat. They are great places for people who need to get out.

I also commend the people who deliver meals on wheels services in rural communities because a lot of people who get the dinners tell me that is the only person they meet during the day. The postman is also a gift from God. These are people who are delivering to people in different ways and they need to be commended.

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