Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator will appreciate that I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State in the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, who is unavailable today. I thank the Senator for raising what I consider to be a timely discussion in the Seanad on an important matter. I am pleased to have this opportunity to inform the House about progress in this important area. Events such as International Men's Day and Men's Health Week always give us a great opportunity to come together to raise awareness of men's health, as the Senator has done, and, perhaps most important, determine what we can do to improve it.

The need for a continued focus on men's health is grounded in the evidence that men die younger than women and have higher death rates associated with the leading causes of death, including accidents and suicide. Research suggests that, by comparison with women, men have more limited contact with GPs, can be reluctant to use primary care services and are more likely to present late in the course of an illness. These are trends we need to reverse to improve the health and well-being of Irish men.

In 2009 Ireland was the first country in the world to publish a national men's health policy, and it has been at the forefront internationally in advancing men's health at research, policy and advocacy levels. The HSE's National Men's Health Action Plan: Healthy Ireland - Men 2017–2021 sets out a new vision and roadmap for men's health. Good progress has been made on implementing this plan, which has seen the delivery of several health-promoting activities targeting men and boys. It is led by the HSE's health and well-being division, with several active and engaged partners. In particular, the further delivery of the Engage men's health training programme has improved the way health and social care services are targeted at, and are delivered to, men.

Health and well-being are promoted in men's sheds through the network of more than 400 men's sheds across the country and the development of an evaluation programme for Sheds for Life. Earlier this year, my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, launched an impact report on the Sheds for Life programme. It shows very encouraging results in several areas, particularly an increase in levels of physical activity and benefits for mental health and well-being.

Programmes such as Men on the Move and On Feirm Ground are making a real difference and supporting men in making their journey to better health and well-being. The HSE's men's health advisory group works to develop annual action plans to deliver on the overall Healthy Ireland plan for men. It is made up of key stakeholders in the area of men's health, including the HSE's health and well-being division, the Institute of Public Health, the Irish Heart Foundation, the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention, the National Men's Health Research Centre, the Irish Men's Sheds Association, and the Men's Development Network. This group is currently planning to develop a new action plan, and work on this will begin in the coming months.