HC Deb 30 November 1993 vol 233 cc464-5W
Mr. Ron Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many premature deaths there were in Wales in the latest year for which figures are available; what is this figure as a percentage of the total number of deaths; and what is this percentage as a percentage of the United Kingdom average.

Mr. Gwilym Jones

There is no generally accepted definition of premature death. There were 6,016 deaths of Welsh residents under the age of 65 in 1992, representing 17.8 per cent. of all deaths. This was 97 per cent. of the equivalent United Kingdom figure of 18.4 per cent.