Rates of Suicide 2013 to 2023 (FOI)

Request

Please provide the rates of suicide between the years 2013 to 2023. Specifically, data that breaks down the number of suicides that occurred during each year within this timeframe. Additionally, to include the percentage of individuals affected in the Jersey population, and a separate breakdown of the percentage of these cases that involved children and young people under the age of 20?

What percentage of these individuals were receiving support from the services in Jersey prior to their death?

To clarify, the percentage of individuals who have committed suicide over the 10-year period.

Response

Suicide statistics from 2007 to 2020 are available on page 15 of the Jersey Mortality Statistics 2021 report on www.gov.je  which can be accessed via the link below. Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied. 

Jersey Mortality Statistics 2021 (gov.je) 

Information in respect of suicides in 2021 is due to be published in September 2023, data relating to 2022 will be published in September 2024, and that for 2023 will be published in September 2025 according to the usual schedule of mortality reporting. Inquests for deaths which may be suicide can take some time to be concluded, and as such, reporting in arrears for deaths by suicide is standard practice.  

The Scheduled Public Authority (SPA) does not hold information relating to the percentage of individuals affected in the Jersey population. The Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 does not require a SPA to create new data sets specifically for this purpose, therefore Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

However, population figures published by Statistics Jersey are available on www.gov.je as part of the 2021 Census, which can be accessed via the link below to enable the number of suicides as a percentage of the population to be calculated.

2021 Census.pdf (gov.je)

Due to the small numbers involved, no annual age or gender breakdown will be provided. Release of the information requested could negatively impact living relatives or other connected individuals and it is considered that their right to privacy outweighs the public interest supporting the release of the information requested. It is therefore exempt under Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Data on deaths with cause code for suicide, and data for access to different services, is held across multiple systems. Linked data is not held so as the information is not available in the format requested, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Articles applied 

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.

3)      In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.