HL Deb 15 June 1982 vol 431 cc626-8WA
Lord Mayhew

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the standard mortality rates of men and women in the armed forces for cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, gastro-intestinal diseases and cirrhosis of the liver, and how their rates compare with those for other occupational groups.

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Viscount Trenchard)

The standardised mortality ratios (SMR) for males in the armed forces for the nearest equivalents of the categories requested are given below. The number of deaths of females in the armed forces is too small to be of statistical relevance.

Disease Category Standardised Mortality Ratio
Neopalasms 67.4%
Ischaemic heart diseases 67.9%
Cerebravascular diseases 66.7%
Diseases of the digestive system 27.8%
Cirrhosis of the liver 25.4%
Total diseases 56.0%

Notes

1. Disease definitions are those contained in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death (9th Edition, 1977).

2. The SMRs show the number of deaths of male servicemen as a percentage of the number of deaths expected from a civilian population with a similar age distribution.

House adjourned at fourteen minutes past ten o'clock.