The National Drug Related Death Index Committee
Terms of Reference
In late 2005 the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Justice and Law Reform jointly requested the Health Research Board to establish a National Drug-Related Deaths Index in order to comply with Action 67 of ‘Building on Experience: National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008’. The intention was that the Index would be a census of drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users and would measure the consequences of drug use.
The objective of the National Drug-Related Death Index Committee is as follows:
- To facilitate the development of the index to ensure a complete and accurate register of direct drug-related deaths and deaths among drug users;
The activities of the Committee are as follows:
- To advise on the development of the data collection protocol;
- To develop a methodology for interpreting inconclusive cases;
- To provide pathology and toxicology expertise to the researchers;
Data from the National Drug-Related Deaths Index is published on a regular basis by the Health Research Board. The reports can be accessed through the Health Research Board’s website www.hrb.ie.
Membership
- Mr Niall Cullen (Joint Chair), Department of Justice and Law Reform
- Mr Brendan Ryan (Joint Chair), Department of Health and Children
- Dr. Marie Cassidy, State Pathologist
- Dr. Brian Farrell, Dublin City Coroner
- Mr Tom Maguire, Coroners Service Implementation Team
- Dr. Des Corrigan, National Advisory Committee on Drugs
- Dr Brion Sweeney, Drug Treatment Centre Board
- Dr Helen Crosse, Toxicology Laboratory, Beaumont Hospital
- Dr Liam Regan, The State Laboratory
- Ms Sandra Tobin, Central Statistics Office, Cork
- Mr Philip Keegan, Family Support Network
- Ms Sadie Grace, Family Support Network
- Mr Denis Breen, Department of the Taoiseach
- Mr Joe Doyle, Health Service Executive
- Dr Jean Long, Alcohol and Drug Research Unit, Health Research Board
- Dr Suzi Lyons, Alcohol and Drug Research Unit, Health Research Board
- Ms Ena Lynn, Alcohol and Drug Research Unit, Health Research Board
- Ms Simone Walsh, Health Research Board
- Detective Superintendent Michael O’Sullivan, Garda National Drugs Unit
- Professor Joe Barry, Specialist in Public Health.
- Mr Eddie Matthews, Health Service Executive
- Mr Eddie Arthurs, Office of the Minister for Drugs
