641. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the average time it takes for a toxicology report to be completed. [42593/26]

I am informed by the State Laboratory that the average time from when a sample arrives to the State Laboratory to when the toxicology report is completed is 93 days. The actual time varies during the year because the number of samples arriving each month varies. Usually, the number arriving is similar for the months February – December with the number arriving in January 60% - 70% higher than the other months. The extra sample numbers arriving in January mean that samples may be waiting longer at different parts of the process during January – June, and therefore it may take longer than 93 days,  while samples arriving in the second half of the year move through the process quicker and take less than 93 days. The overall annual average is 93 days.

It should also be noted that the turn around time varies with the complexity of work required, depending on the sample. Almost all samples are analysed for ethanol and screened for 190 drugs. Samples that test negative for drugs are reported in less than 60 days whereas samples that test positive for multiple drugs require confirmatory analysis and take much longer to complete the analysis and reporting. The overall annual average is 93 days.