127. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to increase support for the Planet Youth model in light of the insights it provides into adolescent behaviour, physical activity and mental health. [28355/26]

Oral answers (7 contributions)
An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú): Tá ceist Uimh. 127 in ainm an Teachta Ardagh á glacadh ag an Teachta Daly.

Deputy Martin Daly: I would like the Minister to reflect on the support for the Planet Youth model, which covers about five different regions in the country and dwells on youth mental health, well-being and the maintenance of that well-being, including through repeated surveys of youth to find out what makes them tick.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler): I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor. She sends her apologies. I thank Deputies Ardagh and Daly for their interest in the prevention of drug use among young people in Ireland and for the opportunity to provide an update to the House on this very important work.

As Deputy Daly will be aware, the Minister of State published the draft national drugs strategy in early February. The successor strategy will seek to further the progress made under the previous drugs strategy and emphasise the importance of effective and evidence-based drug prevention. Significant support is currently being provided for drug prevention. In 2023, a first-of-its-kind funding programme to support evidence-based drug prevention initiatives was launched, providing €1.5 million to date. This funding has supported five programmes and represents a significant step in developing our approach to drug prevention in Ireland.

As Deputy Ardagh will be aware, the first strategic pillar in the draft strategy prioritises prevention. It will seek to protect individuals, children, families and communities from the harmful effects of drug and alcohol use and will contain several actions aimed at preventing the onset of drug use among our citizens, with a particular focus on young people. Upon publication of the finalised strategy, these actions will provide targeted responses to groups that are faced with high levels of risk, such as children living with parental drug use and experiencing hidden harm. Any new initiatives on drug prevention will be considered in the context of the finalised strategy, which will develop a coherent, co-ordinated and quality-based national drug prevention system.

The health and well-being of all citizens is of vital importance and reducing health risk factors for our young people is a priority for this Government. I will speak about Planet Youth in my next contribution.

Deputy Martin Daly: I am glad that the Minister of State recognises the value of the Planet Youth project, which is based on the Icelandic model of intervening early to try to identify the reasons young people may fall into lifestyles that will be deleterious to their health.

One of the Planet Youth reports, which came out from Galway, Roscommon and Mayo in 2024, identified the fact that things such as unsupervised time for young people on the street gave them nine times more risk of smoking cannabis. Being unsupervised in a friend's home makes a young person five times more likely to engage in drinking at an early age. Other things that came out included that 18% of young people under the age of 13 had viewed pornography. These are really important pieces of data that allow us to target schemes at those young people to try to prevent them for getting into trouble.

Deputy Mary Butler: Planet Youth Ireland is an initiative to promote, as Deputy Daly said, well-being among our children and adolescents. It takes a ground-up approach whereby local regions enter into a process that researches local government agencies, the education sector and young people themselves. Planet Youth is not an intervention, though, rather a data collection exercise that provides evidence to inform interventions.

The Icelandic prevention model refers to efforts made in Iceland to address adolescent drugs and alcohol use.

Iceland has also significantly invested in professional parent councils and networks. It has expanded that out. Officials from the drugs policy, tobacco and alcohol control unit and health and well-being unit met representatives of Planet Youth Ireland from across Ireland on 9 March in departmental buildings.

Deputy Martin Daly: The value of having repeated data collection means you get an evolving picture of how things are on the ground. In the Ballinasloe area, for example, if your parent had an alcohol problem, you are something like five times more likely to have taken alcohol by the age of 14. If your parents were permissive around the use of alcohol, the risk of having a problem with drink in later life is three times higher. These are important parameters that allow us to plan health services based around health and well-being and working upstream so that we avoid the problems that develop in later life. Alcohol, drug abuse and the viewing of pornography lead to unsafe and sometimes dangerous practices for young children and adolescents. Data allows us to intervene earlier with measures that will prevent future problems.

Deputy Mary Butler: Planet Youth Ireland communicated that it intends to discontinue its links with Planet Youth as it was felt the work done by Planet Youth could be done in Ireland at a lower cost. Planet Youth Ireland is separating from Planet Youth while continuing to do the work. For example, a number of regular surveys capturing information on youth drug and alcohol use patterns, risks and protective factors have been implemented in Ireland. These include European school survey projects on alcohol and drugs every four years, with the last wave of findings being published in 2025, the health behaviour of school-aged children, which monitors the health behaviours, health outcomes, drug and alcohol use and social environment of school-aged children every four years, and the Growing Up in Ireland study, which includes research on drug and alcohol use. The model is still being used, but Planet Youth Ireland has separated from the cost factor and is investing the money saved in drug prevention instead.