Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 76: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she will report on the league table of suicides for persons under 25 years of age in the OECD countries. [22945/05]

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The most recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, report Society at a Glance, published in February 2003, presented information on a number of indices intended to illustrate levels of social cohesion in member countries. Among these indices was the youth suicide rate and the report showed that Ireland had the second highest rate of suicide for persons under the age of 25 years. It also reported that the rate of increase in the youth suicide rate over the past 20 years had been highest in Ireland. However, the statistics presented in the report must be interpreted with some degree of perspective. This report is based on data for 1998, the year in which there were 514 deaths by suicide in Ireland. The average annual number of suicide deaths for the five years since then is 471.

Work is now well under way on the preparation of a national strategy for action on suicide prevention. This strategy, involving the project management unit, Health Service Executive, in partnership with the national suicide review group and supported by the Department of Health and Children will be action based from the outset and will build on existing policy. All measures aimed at reducing the number of deaths by suicide will be considered in the context of the preparation of this strategy, which is due to be published in September this year.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 77: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of deliberate self harm persons presenting at accident and emergency departments in 2003 by gender. [22946/05]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The national parasuicide registry collects data on persons presenting to hospital as a consequence of deliberate self harm. Based on near complete coverage of acute hospitals, the registry estimates that in 2003 there were approximately 11,200 presentations nationally due to deliberate self harm involving approximately 8,800 individuals. The gender breakdown of recorded episodes shows that 42.6% were male and 57.4% were female.