Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am raising this issue because of a report published in the last week, namely, the National Paediatric Mortality Register Annual Report 2025. It sets out the concerns about the lack of a centralised, universalised reporting system for reporting and analysing child deaths. This is hindering progress in addressing the root causes. What steps is the Minister of State taking to address this issue? The report covers the audit from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. It shows that deaths of children are higher in some areas, aspects and age groups in Ireland compared to other European countries. For instance, there has been no significant decline in mortality in the age groups of those aged from ten to 14 and 15 to 18. In fact, rates in Ireland from 2007 to 2023 in the age groups one to four and five to nine show there has been no decrease. In the age group of those aged ten to 14 there has been no decrease. In the age group of those aged 15 to 18, however, there has been an increase. This is the concern that the report shows. It is interesting to see the figures in that the number of deaths recorded for those aged under one year of age was 363. For those aged one to 14, the figure was 145, while for those aged 15 to 18, it was 104.

The major aspect of this report shows that there is no centralised system of any description for reporting. There also seems to be quite a delay in the reporting of the deaths. As a result, the analysis is not occurring. The report clearly indicated a need for a proper data collection system, for an analysis of infection-related deaths, that is, in children, and for a review of data relating to circumstances of potential suicide. This is especially the case in the age group from 15 to 18. In the case of sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, there is a need for accurate and timely information regarding the circumstances of those deaths.

There is another interesting issue. My understanding is that when a post mortem is requested in the case of the death of a child receiving treatment in a hospital, the post mortem report goes to the coroner, but there is no direct feedback to the doctors who were treating the child, and if feedback is given, it happens at a considerably later stage. It can take anything up to two years for an inquest to be held, and therefore the post mortem report is not made available. The doctors concerned in treating that child may have moved on to another hospital or indeed to another jurisdiction. That is something that must also be reviewed.

The report is a comprehensive one of more than 150 pages. It deals with all of the aspects relating to infant deaths and child deaths. The Department now needs to take on board the recommendations in the report and the need for a centralised system. I ask that this request would be taken on board at the earliest possible date.

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