Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

The number of suicides for 2002 was listed at 478, suggesting a doubling of the number of suicides over a 20 year period. It is the most common cause of death in the 15-24 age group, particularly among young men. Are the Minister and the Central Statistics Office satisfied that this represents the full picture? A theory exists that a number of fatal car crashes involving single vehicles are disguised suicides. International research suggests that where open verdicts are given in these cases, as many as 6% of single vehicle car crashes could be disguised suicides. Is the Central Statistics Office taking these statistics into account? How are such statistics being gathered?

Following from this issue, do the Minister and the Central Statistics Office accept there is a need to introduce the long-promised coroners Bill to collect information from the nation's coroners so it can be more easily accessed and more readily analysed in regard to this grey area?

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