Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Health if she will detail the level of funding allocated to implement all actions under a plan (details supplied); if she is confident that the strategy is fully funded and resourced; and if any challenges have arisen in relation to funding or resourcing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34537/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the National Men’s Health Action Plan was launched on November 18th, 2024. To support the implementation of the actions contained within, the HSE received €200,000 in Budget 2024 to recruit a National Lead for Men’s Health and a further €100,000 to support programme development. The recruitment process to appoint the National Lead for Men’s Health is currently underway and is expected to be finalised over the coming period.

In addition, the Department of Health provides approximately €400,000 in funding to support the national office of the Irish Men’s Shed Association and the Sheds for Life Programme, a 10-week community-based health promotion programme aimed at supporting the physical, mental and social well-being of men’s sheds members by engaging them to successfully facilitate more open and meaningful discussions around their physical and mental well-being.

The Department of Health also provides €50,000 in annual funding to support the On Feirm Ground Project which is a partnership initiative with the Department of Agriculture who provide the core funding. The On Feirm Ground initiative provides training on health and well-being for agricultural advisors and service providers including veterinary staff to enable them to support and signpost farmers, for appropriate help in relation to health issues.

The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland is supported by the Department of Health through the provision of €10,000 to assist with the publication costs of the “Action Man” Men’s Health Manual which is distributed throughout Men’s Health Week across workplaces and within community and voluntary groups. A further €37,000 in funding was provided to the Men’s Health Forum to facilitate the implementation and evaluation of the CAIRDE initiative, which aims to improve the mental fitness of construction workers, help them combat suicide ideation, offer signposting and ‘first aid’ support and equip construction companies with the tools to effectively manage the mental health issues of their workforce.

Further, the HSE have an additional €400k in base funding that is utilised to support the ongoing work in relation to Men’s Health and drive the implementation of the Men’s Health Action plan and we will continue to bid for additional funding as required through the estimates process.