§ 27. Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is now the proportion of men and women, respectively, of the population of England and Wales who are alcoholics; and what was the estimated number of deaths from the disease annually for the last five years to the nearest available date.
§ Sir K. JosephSurveys indicate that there may be between 200,000 and 400,000 men and women in England and Wales who fall within the World Health Organisation definition of alcoholics, in the proportion of about five men to one woman. Many deaths to which alcoholism has contributed are recorded as due to other causes, but the recorded number of deaths in England and Wales attributed to alcoholism as such for the last five years up to 1971 are as follows:
Year Number of deaths 1967 69 1968 80 1969 70 1970 57 1971 (provisional) 87