§ Mr. VazTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many students have committed suicide in the current academic year. [20890]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 17 December 1997:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your recent questions on suicides by students.In the period 1 September 1996 to 31 July 1997, there were a total of 114 suicides recorded to persons aged 16 and over in England and Wales who were described as 'students' at the time their deaths were registered. These are the latest figures available which approximate to a completed academic year and include deaths where the underlying cause of death was coded as suicide or undetermined injury.