FIGURES PROVIDED by the Health Service Executive (HSE) last Friday for the numbers of children who died in care over the past 10 years includes the case of Daniel McAnaspie, Minister for Health Mary Harney said yesterday.
The HSE provided data on Friday showing 37 children died while in the care of the State in the 10 years between January 1st, 2000, and April 30th, 2010. It said 18 died of unnatural causes and 19 of natural causes and health complaints.
Responding to some media reports that these figures did not include 17-year-old Daniel McAnaspie, from Finglas, Dublin, whose stabbed body was found dumped in a drain on farmland in Co Meath last month, Ms Harney said the figures did include him.
She added reports suggesting details of 50 child deaths – including 20 in Cork and Kerry – had been prepared for an independent review were speculation.
“The figures I’ve seen in the media over the weekend clearly are speculation. I’ve no reason to believe they are correct. But we will be having another meeting this week with the HSE to verify and clarify this data,” she said.
The HSE is drawing up a list of children and young adults known to the child protection services who died. It is expected to have this information by Friday.
Meanwhile, the figure of 37 deaths quoted by the HSE was significantly more than the 23 quoted by Ms Harney and senior HSE managers just 24 hours earlier.
Ms Harney said yesterday Prof Brendan Drumm had told the Cabinet subcommittee on health last Wednesday there were 23 deaths.
“Subsequently on Friday there were 37 deaths, which included . . . those that died from natural causes,” she said.