§ 49. Mrs. Joyce Butlerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what analysis his Department has made of the causes of the 9,000 deaths which take place each year from accidents in the home; and what action he is taking to reduce this accident rate.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsParticulars supplied by the Registrar General show that about 70 per cent. of fatal accidents in the home involve the elderly, the greatest single cause being falls. In other age groups, the principal causes are poisoning (including gas poisoning), falls and fire. Many accidents in the home are the result of physical disability, carelessness or lack of awareness of the dangers concerned; and for this reason publicity designed to warn and educate the public, especially those who care for young children and the elderly, is undertaken by the Home Office and other Government Departments, the local authorities, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and other safety organisations.