Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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150. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which his Department will engage with the development of the action plan on Internet safety that will be published in June 2018; if he will be engaging with stakeholders within this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16883/18]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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151. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which he will be engaging with Internet companies on the policy areas under his remit in the development of the action plan on Internet safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16884/18]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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153. To ask the Minister for Health the process by which his Department will be developing and contributing draft actions to be considered as part of the action plan on Internet safety to be published in June 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16890/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 to 153, inclusive, together.

The Action Plan will be developed and contributed to by a number of Departments, including the Department of Health. As the Department of the Taoiseach has responsibility for the coordination of this Action Plan, the main questions posed would be better directed to that department.

The Department of Health recognises the importance of Internet Safety, with several actions and initiatives in this area. These include Connecting for Life, the National Taskforce on Youth Mental Health, and online mental health support courses.

Connecting for Life, Ireland’s National Strategy to reduce suicide, commits to engaging with online platforms to encourage best practice in reporting around suicidal behaviour, so as to encourage a safer online environment in this area.

The Programme for Partnership Government (2016) committed to the establishment of a National Taskforce on Youth Mental Health “to consider how best to introduce and teach resilience, coping mechanisms, greater awareness to children and young people, and how to access support services voluntarily at a young age.”

The Task Force process came to a conclusion last summer and its final set of recommendations were published in December. The recommendations include actions in areas such as consultation and advocacy; awareness and training; accessibility and alignment of mental health services; and improving knowledge through research online youth mental health supports.

Work in this area is further informed by good practice guidelines for the safe delivery of online mental health information and support commissioned by the National Office for Suicide Prevention in 2015.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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152. To ask the Minister for Health the input his Department will have on the issue of advertising and marketing to children in view of the recent publication of a document (details supplied) and the strict timeframes involved in publishing the action plan on Internet safety; if the absence of a monitoring body will impede this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16885/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with Section 10 on governance of the Codes of Practice concerned, the Department of Health's involvement in them will include the designation of a monitoring body and the maintenance and publication - either by the Department or the monitoring body - of a register of signatories to these codes. Section 10 also stipulates that the monitoring body shall produce an annual report for the Minister for Health.

The Codes of Practice concerned were published in February. They were developed by a multi-stakeholder group that included IBEC, Food Drink Ireland, Retail Ireland, Association of Advertisers in Ireland and the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland. Work on the designation of a monitoring body to monitor these codes for compliance and effectiveness is underway and impedance of the work referred to by the Deputy has not been envisaged in the interim.