§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to be in a position to judge the adequacy of his statistics relating to the effect of prescription charges on the pattern of prescribing.
§ Mr. AlisonStatistics of prescriptions dispensed for several months from April, 1971, onwards will be needed before a provisional assessment can be made of the cause of any changes they may show compared with previous periods. Such an assessment will not be possible until towards the end of the year.
DEATHS OF CHILDREN AGED 0–14 YEARS IN ENGLAND AND WALES FROM ACCIDENTAL POISONING Type of Poison 1966 1967* 1968 1969 1970 Drugs and medicaments 26 22 26 22 18 Alcohol 1 0 1 0 0 Petroleum products and other solvents 0 0 1 2 1 Heavy metals and their fumes 2 4 0 3 2 other solids and liquids 4 0 2 1 1 Gases and vapours 29 22 31 15 20 Poisoning undetermined whether accidental or purposely inflicted (from 1968) (included in the above) 1 6 1 TOTAL 62 48 62 49 43 * Revised classification from 1968. There is no reliable information as to the incidence of serious illness in children as a result of accidental poisoning as distinct from cases of milder or suspected poisoning. It is known, however, that fewer than 30 per cent. of children under 15 years of age admitted to hospitals with
Type of Poisoning 1966 1967 * 1968 Medicinal agents … … 8,029 9,539† 15,764‡ Alcohol … … 212 472 440 Petroleum products, industrial solvents … … 1,971 2,536 2,145 Metals and their compounds … … 267 143 209 Corrosive aromatics, acids and caustic alkalis … … 1,136 1,427 1,309 Noxious foodstuffs … … 189 450 572 Gases and vapours … … 334 220 154 Other substances … … 5,033 5,829§ 2,816† TOTAL … … 17,171 20,616 23,409 * Revised classification in 1968. † Excluding unspecified drugs. ‡Including other and unspecified drugs. § Including unspecified drugs.
§ Mr. Ogdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the problem of accidental poisoning of children