HC Deb 26 February 1987 vol 111 cc401-2W
Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he has taken to reduce deaths from asthma since 1978.

Mrs. Currie

There are many causes of asthma requiring different forms of treatment. Despite improvements in these treatments deaths from asthma continue to

Week commencing 2 February 1987
Weather stations Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Average
Scotland
Aberdeen Airport 0.4 4.0 4.9 7.8 8.4 3.2 5.8 4.9
Dumfries -0.9 5.5 3.8 5.3 9.0 3.5 6.5 4.6
Edinburgh Airport 0.2 4.3 6.0 7.1 8.4 4.4 5.8 5.1
Eskdalemuir (Galashiels) -2.2 4.3 2.6 4.7 5.6 2.1 5.1 3.3
Fort William 1.7 4.3 6.5 7.9 8.6 5.2 5.9 5.7
Glasgow Airport -0.7 3.9 5.3 6.8 8.3 3.9 5.6 4.7
Kinloss (Inverness) 1.5 5.0 6.4 8.4 7.7 1.6 4.9 5.1
Kirkwall 4.2 4.8 5.7 7.1 6.3 3.3 4.7 5.1
Lerwick 3.9 5.3 5.0 6.5 5.4 1.9 3.7 4.5
Leuchars (Dundee) -0.7 3.5 5.1 6.6 9.0 3.3 6.7 4.6
Machrihanish (Campbeltown) 6.0 6.3 6.0 7.8 8.1 7.2 7.9 7.0
Prestwick (Ayr) 4.0 4.5 5.9 7.8 8.8 5.2 6.1 6.0
Stornoway 6.5 4.9 6.6 8.0 7.3 4.2 4.6 6.0
Whithorn 4.2 5.2 4.5 6.8 7.8 4.9 6.2 5.6
Wick 4.8 3.3 5.1 7.2 6.8 1.6 3.9 4.7
England
Aughton (Liverpool) 1.7 5.0 5.1 6.7 8.0 5.2 6.6 5.4
Bedford RAE 0.4 4.2 5.5 7.8 9.4 6.1 7.5 5.8
Binbrook (Hull) -0.1 3.9 3.0 6.8 7.9 5.4 7.3 4.9
Birmingham Airport -0.1 6.0 5.2 7.7 9.2 7.3 7.8 6.1
Blackpool Airport 2.0 5.3 2.4 5.0 6.8 4.7 5.4 1.2
Boscombe Down (Sarum) 1.1 6.5 7.0 8.1 9.0 5.7 7.7 6.4
Boulmer (Berwick) 1.0 4.1 4.9 6.6 9.0 5.6 8.0 5.6
Bournemouth Airport 0.1 7.5 7.4 8.1 8.7 5.7 7.0 6.3
Bristol 3.3 7.9 8.6 9.5 9.3 6.8 7.6 7.5
Brize Norton (Oxford) 0.0 5.6 6.9 7.7 9.5 5.1 6.8 5.9
Carlisle 0.7 6.0 4.2 6.2 8.0 5.6 5.8 5.2
Chivenor (Barnstaple) 7.3 8.0 8.3 9.2 9.1 6.7 1— 1—
Coltishall (Norwich) -0.2 2.5 4.9 7.5 9.5 6.8 7.8 5.6
Coningsby (Boston) -1.5 3.2 4.2 5.9 10.3 5.6 6.9 4.9
Culdrose (Penzance) 9.2 8.1 7.1 7.8 8.8 6.2 7.4 7.8
East Hampstead -0.8 6.0 7.2 8.6 9.7 4.4 7.1 6.0
Eskmeals (Whitehaven) 3.6 6.3 3.4 5.0 7.4 4.2 5.0 5.0
Exeter 6.7 8.4 7.5 9.0 10.4 7.1 8.6 8.2
Finningley (Sheffield) -1.3 4.3 3.9 6.6 9.2 7.1 8.2 5.4
Gatwick Airport (Guildford) 0.8 5.2 6.2 7.8 8.3 6.4 8.1 6.1
Heathrow Airport (London) 1.8 6.3 7.2 9.0 10.3 5.7 8.1 6.9
Herstmonceaux (Brighton) 2.1 4.9 5.6 6.8 7.6 5.2 5.9 5.4
Honington (Bury St. Edmunds) 0.8 3.7 5.2 8.1 9.7 7.7 7.5 6.1
Leeds Weather Centre -0.3 4.9 4.1 6.8 9.4 6.7 8.0 5.6
Leeming (Newcastle) -2.1 4.7 3.6 6.0 9.0 5.9 6.9 4.9
Lyneham (Chippenham) 3.2 6.3 7.0 8.0 8.5 5.6 6.7 6.4
Manchester Airport 2.1 5.3 3.6 7.3 8.8 6.9 8.1 6.0

increase. This emphasises the need for research. The Department supports a research project in prevalence and treatment in asthma at St. Thomas's hospital at an estimated cost of £65,000. The Medical Research Council also supports research in this field. In 1985–86 MRC expenditure on projects with relevance to asthma totalled £599,000.