Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of cocaine related deaths reported in each year from 2002 to date in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20961/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The General Mortality Register, the main source of information on drug-related deaths prior to the establishment of the National Drug Related Deaths Index in 2005, shows that the number of cocaine-only deaths was two in 2002, one in 2003 and nine in 2004, which is the latest year for which data are available. The statistics in the General Mortality Register are collected by the Central Statistics Office which measures — as it is required to do — direct drug-related deaths based on an international classification system. It does not have a reliable measure of deaths which are indirectly related to drug use and so does not provide the full picture of drug-related deaths. For example, a death resulting from an infectious disease contracted through drug use may not feature in the General Mortality Register as drug-related. To remedy these limitations, the Departments of Health and Children and Justice, Equality and Law Reform jointly asked the Health Research Board to establish a National Drug-Related Deaths Index. This index was established to comply with Action 67 of 'Building on Experience: National Drug Strategy 2001-2008'. The index is a census of drug and alcohol-related deaths and deaths among substance users in Ireland which is one of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction's key indicators to measure the consequences of the drug situation. The data for the index is drawn from a number of sources including the General Mortality Register; the Coroner's Service; the Hospital Inpatient Inquiry; and the Central Treatment List.

A committee that is co-chaired by the two aforementioned Departments, provides general and technical advice on the development of the index. Retrospective work done to date on the index indicates that there were 14 cocaine-related deaths in 2002 compared to seven in 2001 and five in each of 1998, 1999 and 2000. Of the 14 deaths in 2002, 12 were of known drug users and 11 involved more than one drug. Eleven of those who died were living in the Dublin area. According to incomplete data for 2003, there were four cocaine-related deaths in that year, although data collection is Dublin has not yet been completed. The data presented above from the National Drug Related Deaths Index includes statistics from the coroner's service on "sudden and unexpected deaths with positive drug toxicology or a history of drug dependency". This data is extracted from closed coroner files. Files may not be closed for a period of time due to a number of reasons such as awaiting toxicology results, pathology results, Garda reports and delay in criminal court proceedings. These processes must be complete before an inquest is held and the file closed. For example, for some deaths which occurred in 2003 the inquest was held in 2005. This indicates that there may be up to a two-year delay before the cause of death is ascertained and the file is closed.