267. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Health if he has considered positive health psychology and lifestyle medicine as part of an integrative healthcare strategy to prevent chronic disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37044/24]

The Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Department of Health is responsible for coordinating the implementation of Healthy Ireland, our National Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025, and the subsequent Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan, 2021-25.

The Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025 sets out the roadmap for improving and supporting the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland and aims to bring a concerted focus on life-long wellbeing and reduce health inequalities which requires a whole of society approach. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including positive mental health, diet and nutrition and regular physical activity, is supported by Healthy Ireland through the National Physical Activity Plan and the Obesity Policy and Action Plan.

A further action is the development of a National Mental Health Promotion Plan. The Plan aims to achieve a healthy Ireland where positive mental health and wellbeing is actively promoted, supported and valued across society and whole of Government. The Plan is currently being drafted and will provide strategic direction for positive mental health promotion, in line with international best practice.

The definition of mental health put forward by the WHO illustrates this: “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realize their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their community”. This definition shows that positive mental health is important not just for people to reach their potential and improve themselves but also to participate in and contribute to society. Mental health promotion helps strengthen protective factors for good mental health, enhancing supportive environments, and enabling access to skills, resources, and life opportunities.

The promotion of physical activity (PA) for health is a key policy objective of Healthy Ireland. This was evidenced by the publication, in 2016, of Get Ireland Active – the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), which contained 60 actions designed to promote participation in PA across the population.

Implementation of the NPAP is jointly led by my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM), through a cross-sectoral Implementation Group that includes a range of other Government Departments, State agencies and the academic sector. Key initiatives progressed under the NPAP include supports for walking, running, swimming and cycling.

Improving physical activity in women and girls has also been identified as a priority area by the Women’s Health Taskforce; the Women’s Health Fund and Healthy Ireland have supported “It’s My Time”, a national communications programme, managed by Sport Ireland, which encouraged women, particularly those with caring or family responsibilities, to make more time for sport and physical activity to improve their own health and wellbeing.

Healthy Ireland is supporting the development and piloting of a Physical Activity Pathways in Healthcare Model, in collaboration with the HSE and Sport Ireland. These supports are funding development and co-ordination of programmes to increase access to physical activity for people who are older, frailer, living with a disability or disadvantage, and who otherwise experience more barriers to accessing physical activity, and will include elements of physical activity prescription.

A review of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) was published in 2021. The review contained recommendations regarding the future direction of the NPAP. Work on a successor document to the original NPAP, which will chart the development of a policy framework in this area for the foreseeable future, is significantly advanced and will reflect the recommendations of the Review. It is intended that this framework will be published in the coming months.

In addition to the actions being pursued by my Department, population health & wellbeing is also being enhanced by a wide variety of sports measures being supported by DTCAGSM. The roles of sport and physical activity in supporting the health and wellbeing of our society are clear and it is imperative that opportunities are in place to allow all members of society to participate in sport.

This objective is supported by funding in 2024 from that Department of a record €209 million for sport, as compared with €111 million in 2018 at the launch of Ireland’s National Sports Policy. The Government committed to double State investment in sport by 2027 at that time, and these figures show that we are well on track. Sport Ireland is supported by both Departments to continue its support for sporting organisations and the promotion of broader participation in sport and physical activity in Ireland.