Mr. Lilley askedthe Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were drowned off the beach at Porthowan in each of the last three years;
(2) how many people were drowned off the coast of north Cornwall in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. John PattenI have been asked to reply.
Information available centrally about deaths from drowning is collected through death registration by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The amount of detail available is dependent on information supplied by Her Majesty's coroners.
In the years 1981 to 1983 no drowning deaths were identified as occurring off the beach at Porthowan. Thirteen deaths occurring off the north Cornish coast were registered in this period—five in 1981, five in 1982 and three in 1983. These include one known suicide and two deaths probably involving falling from cliffs.