Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
594. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if IPAS or his Department collate data on the number of times asylum seekers living in direct provision have attempted to take their own lives; and if so, if he will furnish this Deputy with such data, in tabular form. [30894/23]
View answerThe International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) policy in relation to Persons in Suicidal Distress outlines that the Critical Incident (CI) policy is to be implemented in the event of a person attempting suicide or dying by suicide. Death statistics are published every 6 months and may record where a person has died by suicide.
IPAS published a Critical Incident Policy in November 2019. Records on any serious attempt at suicide have been kept in line with this policy since January 2020.
A yearly record of Critical Incidents occurring in centres is maintained, defined as “serious injury, harm to self or others” so any serious attempt at suicide in a centre should be notified as a Critical Incident (CI). An attempted suicide will be recorded as “harm to self or others”. However, as per policy, a CI is only an incident that occurs on site in an IPAS Accommodation Centre. Therefore, incidents that happen outside the confines of the Centre are not recorded as CI’s.
Please see the requested data below in tabular format.
|
2021: Date of Incident |
|
14/02/2021 |
|
19/07/2021 |
|
15/07/2021 |
|
27/08/2021 |
|
21/09/2021 |
|
10/11/2021 |
|
Total of 6 Critical Incidents in 2021 |
|
2022: Date of Incident |
|
15/01/2022 |
|
18/01/2022 |
|
28/02/2022 |
|
09/03/2022 |
|
11/03/2022 |
|
08/04/2022 |
|
21/08/2022 |
|
14/09/2022 |
|
Total of 8 Critical Incidents in 2022 |
|
2023: Date of Incident |
|
13/01/2023 |
|
16/01/2023 |
|
24/01/2023 |
|
08/02/2023 |
|
12/03/2023 |
|
08/04/2023 |
|
07/04/2023 |
|
11/05/2023 |
|
30/05/2023 |
|
09/06/2023 |
|
Total of 10 Critical Incidents in 2023 |
