Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that Parkinson’s Ireland (PI) has made an application for new funding under section 39 Grant Aid and Service Arrangement process to the HSE and I wish to confirm that the Department of Health does not have a role in relation to PI’s funding application.

The HSE has confirmed that its Disability Services are the point of contact for such funding proposals and that the HSE funds a range of community services and supports to enable each individual with a disability, including persons with Parkinson's disease, to achieve their full potential and maximise independence, including living as independently as possible. It is a matter for HSE in the first instance, to consider the application having regard to the annual estimates process and its overall budgetary envelope.

The HSE has advised that Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 2 Primary Care supported a local initiative with PI with €70,000 in funding to provide a level of Physiotherapy and other supports in counties Galway and Mayo. This was a discrete initiative funded at the local level via the CHO's own funding allocation. It has further advised that PI approached the HSE with a number of business cases to seek funding for the development of services in the other eight CHOs similar to that in CHO 2.

The HSE has been considering the most appropriate way to oversee this type of development, which relates to the overall National Strategy and Policy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland and associated priorities, which falls within the remit of DCEDIY and HSE Disability Services, whilst also recognising the essential input from acute and primary care services as part of an integrated services approach to both funding and delivery, consistent with the Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy.

My Department will work in a collaborative way with DCEDIY to promote such an integrated approach to service delivery for people with Parkinson’s.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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671. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has carried out or discussed any studies about the health impact of excessive use of mobile phones at a young age; if he is concerned about this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10154/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My department funds health research through the Health Research Board (HRB), the largest funder of health research in the state. HRB funding schemes are run as open, competitive calls and all eligible applications are internationally peer-reviewed by experts in the field. The HRB does not ring-fence funding for specific conditions. Therefore, applications in any topic area, including youth mental health and use of mobile phones, are welcome through all HRB grant schemes.

In 2023, HRB provided funding for a large programmatic award of €2.5 million over 51 months, starting in January 2024, entitled VISTA (Vision to Action for promoting Mental Health and Recovery) which is a research programme aimed at supporting the delivery of specific national recommendations outlined in ‘Sharing the Vision’ including a work package focused on social media and youth mental health, and one focused on digital interventions in youth mental health.

While the overarching intent of the programme is to design and evaluate evidence-based social media and digital interventions that can promote positive mental health and resilience and enhance access to and delivery of mental health services, the foundational aspects of the research seek to generate contemporary data on how young people in Ireland use social media and explore the relationship between social media use measures and mental health status.

Furthermore, my department in conjunction with the HRB has a track record of supporting mental health research, including for young people. In 2023, the HRB invested €7M to advance mental health research projects, almost a doubling of investment compared with the previous five years. This was made possible as a result of significant additional funding made available under Sharing the Vision and to advance research aligned with my departments Statement of Research Priorities.

Sharing the Vision emphasises the importance of mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and recovery. The research projects funded will generate important and actionable evidence in areas such as improving the experience of involuntary care for young people in the Irish mental health service.

Not including the VISTA award above, between 2014 and 2023, my department in conjunction with the HRB invested €4,300,005 in projects linked specifically to youth mental health. This included themes such as informing youth suicidal prevention and mental health promotion and psychosocial supports for youth mental health.