§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Liverpool people died of lung cancer last year; what percentage of women and men in Liverpool died of lung304W cancer last year compared with the national average; what preventative measures she plans; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. MawhinneyIn 1991 a total of 527 residents of the area covered by Liverpool district health authority died from lung cancer diseases—ICD 162—malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung.
On the basis of 1990 population data, standardised mortality ratios, which take account of the age and sex of the population, indicate that 65 per cent. more men and 79 per cent. more women died of these diseases in Liverpool compared with the average for England and Wales. Population figures for 1991 are not yet available.
It is estimated that, in the United Kingdom, 80 per cent. of deaths from lung cancer are smoking related. Besides general advice designed to encourage smokers to give up and more importantly to persuade people not to start, the Government are engaged in specific programmes of publicity and education aimed at vulnerable groups such as teenagers and pregnant women.