Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to be here this evening. I am really grateful for the opportunity to raise the very important issue of suicide prevention. I am raising it from a place of concern and from a place of care - care for anyone who is grieving the loss of a partner, a family member or a friend and care for everyone who has dedicated their professional life to contributing to better outcomes when it comes to suicide and mental health in Ireland.

The most recent statistics available to us are from 2021. In that year, 512 people died by suicide. For every ten people who died by suicide in Ireland that year, eight were men, yet several studies have shown how less likely men are to seek out mental health supports. Research by Queen's University from last year showed that 70% of male victims of domestic violence had considered suicide. Ireland ranks in the bottom half of 42 countries in terms of adolescent well-being, while our youth suicide rate is above the international average.

Statistics, however, are not what matters in this debate. I am sure the Minister of State will point to the decreasing number of deaths by suicide in Ireland in recent years. I acknowledge the wonderful work being done by the HSE and by youth workers, therapists, school communities, social workers, volunteers, communities and society and I take this opportunity to commend the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on her commitment to mental health, especially when it comes to capital investment.

My considered concern this evening, however, is for the men of Ireland, be they young, middle aged or older, who feel like they cannot say something out loud about their mental health and who feel like they cannot seek support. In their Journal article, Shane O’Donnell, Noel Richardson and Aisling McGrath contend that conformity to masculine norms within university settings has been attributed to men’s reluctance to seek help for mental health problems. These norms could be described as toughness, emotional control and self-reliance so I raise this issue to encourage anyone who might stumble across it, be they young or old. I wish to remind us all, but especially the eight in ten men, how normal it is to be the opposite of tough, to be reliant on others and to be supported. If and when people do seek out such potentially life-saving supports, we must ensure they are there and that Government policy and Government funding ensure they are readily available.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, who regrets not being able to be in the Chamber this evening, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I will pass on his comments to the Minister of State. I fully accept that he comes from a place of care. That is very clear from what he said, especially when he powerfully articulated the specific issues relating to men who take their own lives.

Each death by suicide is a profound tragedy that has a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities. It represents the heartbreaking loss of a life but also the loss of that person’s unique potential, dreams and what their life could have been. The ripple effects are deeply felt by families, friends and entire communities, leaving lasting pain and grief. One death by suicide is one too many and, as the Deputy said, it is a reminder of the urgent need for compassion, connection and support.

This is why suicide and self-harm reduction are a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the Government as a whole. The Minister of State recently brought a memo to the Cabinet to update the Government on our work to improve suicide prevention in Ireland in terms of access to services but also work on our new suicide reduction policy. She updated Government colleagues on the fact that suicide rates are declining in Ireland and that between 2000 and 2021, the last year for which we have official figures, the rate declined by over 25%. Preliminary figures record 302 deaths by suicide in 2023, the lowest preliminary figure in over 20 years, but, as the Deputy said, one death by suicide is one too many. We also need to be aware that there is sometimes a significant time lag in reporting on deaths by suicide. Numbers can be revised upwards, so I would not like to give a false impression of what the numbers are.

There is progress, but the Government and the Minister of State recognise we have so much more to do. Work to enhance services nationwide has taken place through Connecting for Life, our national suicide reduction strategy, and there have been sustained increases in investments in services. The Minister of State funds the National Office for Suicide Prevention, the budget of which has tripled from €5 million in 2012 to almost €15 million in 2025.

Across Ireland, a wide range of HSE-funded organisations are working to support people to overcome suicidal crises. The Minister of State recently increased funding for suicide crisis counselling through Pieta House to the national suicide bereavement liaison service, to the "text about it" service, which acts as a safety net for young people, and to the national Traveller counselling service.

There are dedicated resource officers for suicide prevention in each of the health regions promoting and co-ordinating suicide prevention initiatives in their local areas. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is working with the Department of Health and the HSE to expand alternative care pathways and therapeutic environments for people presenting to emergency departments in mental health crisis because she believes emergency departments are not an appropriate environment for people in a mental health crisis. She is working to prioritise securing additional funding to continue their expansion.

These alternatives are helping to shift supports for those in crisis into their communities. This is primarily through the roll out of a network of crisis resolution teams. I will expand on that in a moment.

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I want to reiterate my thanks to the Minister of State for taking this tonight. I really do appreciate it and I ask that she pass on my thanks to the Minister of State for such a considered reply. I do not doubt for a second the sincerity with which the Ministers of State are approaching this at all. I hope she can hear that I am not here to critique Government policy on this issue whatever but rather to take the opportunity to highlight it specifically when it comes to men and young men in Ireland.

I completely accept the point with regard to emergency care and it often being an unsuitable place. I just want to make the point that it is if-and-when they present because it is often the case that men do not present for help. I hope the new reduction policy that will come before us really acknowledges meaningfully the stigma and the taboo that survives in Irish society when it comes to us speaking openly about our mental health and showing the opposite of toughness and about being willing and ready to embrace the idea of being supported and vulnerable.

In the 30 seconds I have left, while we have already acknowledged the fantastic work of the HSE, I want to acknowledge the many services in our society that might not intend to do such good. I think of the likes of the men’s sheds network, youth services and youth clubs which provide recreation and a safe space to talk and listen in a very informal way but which do unquantifiable good for our society when it comes to men’s mental health specifically.

I thank the Minister of State again for her time and for the opportunity to raise this again tonight.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I really appreciate the Deputy’s considered and genuine comments on this. I mentioned the network of crisis resolution teams. These are teams of mental health professionals who work out of hours to meet people in mental health crisis and provide rapid assessment and intensive intervention in the community in calm environments known as solace cafés.

Connecting for Life, our national suicide reduction strategy, came to an end at the end of 2024. Work on Ireland’s new suicide reduction policy is being swiftly progressed by the Department and an extensive public consultation was recently completed.

I have heard what the Deputy said. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has said that making sure our policies are informed by lived and living experience is really important. The consultation I spoke about had a huge response, almost 1,900, to an online survey and hundreds of people went online and had in-person consultations to share their stories. I hear very clearly what the Deputy says when he speaks of the risks especially for young men.

In that context, it is not quite the same but related, the Minister of State will also visit Exchange House, the Irish National Traveller Service, tomorrow morning to listen to the experiences of young Travellers in relation to mental health and suicide. Earlier I mentioned that I visited Tipperary ETB yesterday. When I was leaving, I was given three books. All three were written by Travellers in one way or another. One in particular was about the experience of young Traveller men and suicide. It was a book of poetry and I read it on my way back. It was one of the most powerful things I have read in a long time because it talked about the raw pain and the shocking impact of suicide in all communities but in this case especially in the Traveller community. She was especially referring to young men.