Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)

I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak on such an important issue. It is welcome that we are discussing this. I find it odd, and it is noticeable, how little we discuss men's health in this House. Maybe that is something we all need to work on to make sure we bring the issue more to the fore in the Chamber. It is an issue that needs attention. It is certainly one form of gender imbalance that we need to address, given it is discussed so little in the House. There seems to be a preference, unfortunately, to demonise men and boys in our society. We know that men are vastly and disproportionately more likely to commit suicide. Indeed, the CSO has pointed out, in the most recent available data, that in 2021, both males and females aged 50 to 54 years had the highest crude suicide rate per 100,000, yet this rate was 29.5 for men and 9.2 for females. That is very concerning. It justifies the need to raise mental health issues more often in this Chamber, in particular the impact it can have on men, and to discuss ideas and solutions.

I also want to refer to farmers’ mental health. I bring this up because at the Tullamore show recently, I spoke with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA. It is a fantastic farming organisation and I commend it on its work. Any time I visit its stand, it has a section on men's health, in particular mental health, and it is constantly promoting the need for more supports, particularly for men engaged in the farming community who need support.

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