Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Dodd. The National Suicide Research Foundation's suicide and self-harm observatory, which monitors suicide mortality data in the Cork region, has provided us with a snapshot of real-time data in 2020. I am informed that based on a yearly comparison, no significant increase has been observed between 2019 and 2020 despite the onset of the pandemic and the implementation of restrictions in Ireland in March 2020.

Several weeks ago, I launched the National Office for Suicide Prevention's annual report for 2020. We were informed there were 340 deaths by suicide in 2020. This is according to provisional figures from the CSO. The 2020 figures will change due to late registration. I believe some coroner's courts were not in a position to work at the time. Some of the them were closed and there is probably a backlog. We expect these figures to change but the trends do not suggest we saw a spike last year. Again, as I have said, we have to take these as provisional figures. At the same time, it is something we are acutely aware of.