Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fáiltím roimh an deis labhairt ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo sa Teach inniu. I am pleased to be here for this debate on the report from the loneliness task force. I welcome the work of the group and congratulate Senator Swanick and Seán Moynihan of ALONE for their group's useful contribution to the debate in highlighting important issues around loneliness in society.

Loneliness affects people across all walks of life, young and old, rural and urban dwellers, those living alone or with others. It can affect us at any stage of life, and it has been shown to have a negative effect on mental and physical health. There are times in everyone's life when he or she feels lonely or isolated. It is normal to feel lonely if one is having difficulties at school, college or work, dealing with bereavement, living away from home, if one is socially or geographically isolated, or for many other reasons.

There are different ways of dealing with loneliness and isolation, depending on what is causing these feelings. Getting involved in volunteering, taking up a hobby, actively setting out to meet new people or talking to a loved one or trusted friend about feelings are all things to consider.

When a person is feeling lonely or isolated, he or she can be more vulnerable. At a time when people have never been more connected online, it can be hard to recognise that what people choose to publish about themselves online may be a carefully curated version of themselves and does not paint a full picture of the highs, lows and, at times, the mundane that makes up all our lives. That said, online communities can be a great social outlet and source of peer support when balanced with face-to-face contact. This technology also presents interesting treatment opportunities, particularly in the area of e-mental health, which I will come to later.

Older people's groups, mental health groups, and community development groups are continually working to promote a positive community response to loneliness. Ireland is justifiably proud of its strong tradition of vibrant, sustainable and inclusive communities, calling in to check on neighbours, volunteering in sporting groups, getting involved in Tidy Towns committees, involvement in neighbourhood watch or supporting families in times of crisis.

This report rightly notes that work to combat loneliness is not limited to one specific Minister or Department. The allocation of responsibility and funding to combat loneliness are matters for the Cabinet as a whole. I will talk about some of the work that is going on in my own Department, often in collaboration with my colleagues across Government.

Healthy Ireland is the national framework for action to improve the health and well-being of the country. It seeks to tackle the major lifestyle issues which lead to negative health outcomes. It also seeks to address the wider social and environmental factors that impact on health and well-being, for example, housing, education, transport, and the physical environment. One of the themes of the current Healthy Ireland campaign is mental well-being, encapsulating some of the points mentioned in the task force report, for example, volunteering, social connection, and participation in physical activity - things that have many benefits for mental and emotional health and social connection. The campaign aims to increase public awareness and understanding, including signposting to partners such as Volunteer Ireland, Men's Sheds and GAA Healthy Clubs. While most of these have a broader focus than mental well-being, they can be considered as tackling loneliness and social isolation through social connection, joining in activities and initiatives in the community, and volunteering.

Having mentioned the important role that volunteering can play, I note that my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Canney, is developing a national volunteering strategy. I congratulate him on this initiative and encourage stakeholders to input to this process.

The task force's report references the work of the healthy and positive ageing initiative and the TILDA longitudinal study on ageing. My Department has invested significant resources in these programmes to identify and collect key data on the ageing experience in Ireland. This data assists all Departments and service providers in informing development of policy and service delivery.

The 2016 Health and Positive Ageing Initiative national indicators report identified that 7.1% of people aged 50 plus often feel lonely and that women have a higher loneliness score than men at all ages. However, more than nine out of ten, that is, 93% of people aged 50 plus, have at least one supportive relative or friend, five in seven, that is, 85% of people aged 50 plus, engage in at least one social leisure activity weekly, more than one in four, that is, 26% of people aged 50 plus, volunteered in the past 12 months, and eight out of ten, that is, 82% of people aged 50 plus, report high life satisfaction. A second indicators report will be published later this year.

The national positive ageing strategy outlines Ireland's vision for ageing and older people and the national goals and objective required to promote positive ageing. It is an overarching cross-departmental policy that will be the blueprint for age related policy and service delivery across Government in the years ahead. One goal focuses on the need to remove barriers to participation and provide opportunities for continued involvement of people as they age in cultural, economic and social life in the communities according to their needs, preferences and capacities.People with a disability can be particularly vulnerable to experiencing social isolation. Transforming Lives is a programme to move care and service delivery for people with disabilities to community-based, person-centred models. This is also a priority in A Programme for a Partnership Government. Securing employment can play a fundamental part in helping with the difficulties of social isolation experienced by many people with a disability. My colleagues, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, and the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, recently launched an extensive consultation process on how the Government can support people with disabilities to obtain and retain employment.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight the immense work done in this country by carers and the risk of loneliness and isolation that they face. Self-care is especially important for this group of largely unsung heroes. There are many community and voluntary support groups for family, friends and carers that provide the opportunity to meet others who also care for loved ones and to share experiences and ideas. The cross-departmental national carers' strategy contains actions to implement four national goals, including a need to support carers to manage their own health and well-being, and the empowering of carers to participate as fully as possible in economic and social life.

I will move on to discuss mental health initiatives. I want to be very clear that loneliness itself is not a mental illness. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that loneliness can have a negative effect on mental health. The task force report recommends a targeted campaign on loneliness. One of the recommendations in the recently published strategy for tackling loneliness in England is to develop easy to understand messages and information through a campaign about the importance of maintaining good social well-being. We in Ireland are lucky enough to have such a campaign already well-established. Little Things is the title of the mental health and well-being campaign by the HSE and more than 35 partner organisations, including BeLonG To, Exchange House Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners, the National Youth Council of Ireland and Nurture. The campaign answers two key questions to help us look after our own and others' mental health. The first is what can I do. The campaign showcases little things proven to aid good mental health. They are simple, specific messages like keeping active, doing things with others, talking about problems, connecting with others going through difficult times, and eating and sleeping well. The second question the campaign answers is where can I go. A dedicated online resource, yourmentalhealth.ie, is now the most comprehensive online directory of support services and information on mental health in Ireland.

I mentioned digital mental health. Work is progressing on a new telephone contact line and the delivery date is scheduled for later this year. The service will operate on a 24-7 basis providing signposting and, where possible, the direct transfer of callers to the most appropriate services. I also expect a new active listening service comprising live chat, instant messaging and short message system, SMS, elements to commence later this year. Furthermore, the HSE is undertaking two six-month national pilot projects exploring the potential to develop the use of online counselling.

Work on the refresh of A Vision for Change, the national policy on mental health, is well advanced. The need to provide additional mental health supports for older people was a common theme that emerged during the national consultation process. It is expected that there will be a recommendation to develop mental health training and supports for health professionals, home help teams and carers who provide services for older people. This training will ensure that primary care services have the capacity to identify mental health difficulties and provide awareness and prevention programmes for older people for the management of mental health and bereavement.

As loneliness is a challenge that many of us face in our lives, the work by Senator Swanick and Mr. Seán Moynihan to address this matter proactively through the formation of the loneliness task force is a bold step in the right direction. The report highlights the wide reach of loneliness in society. I welcome the work of the loneliness task force and encourage those who can make a difference in this area to continue their valuable work.