§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he collates in respect of the suicide rates among patients recently discharged from hospital. [6113]
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on suicides that have taken place in each of the last five years among(a) men and (b) women, indicating the method of suicide; [6112]
(2) how many suicides have taken place among men aged 15 to 24 years in each of the last 10 years. [6111]
§ Mr. HoramData on deaths from suicide—ICD1 E950–E959; E980– E989—are published in table 2 of the publication, "Mortality statistics; Cause; England and Wales; series DH2", copies of which are available in the Library.
The latest data available2 are for the years 1983–1992.
(1 International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision).2 The coding of causes of death in England and Wales was changed in 1993 to an automated system. Though the results from this are generally satisfactory, Office of Population/Censuses and Surveys have identified significant problems in the coding of external causes of death. Certifications of deaths in 1993 and 1994 which could have been due to external causes are all being examined and re-coded as necessary. More reliable data, comparable to that for previous years, will be available in the firth quarter of 1996.
§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many suicides have taken place in each of the last five years as a proportion of all annual deaths. [6110]
§ Mr. HoramThe numbers of suicides1 which have taken place in each of the last five years as a proportion of all annual deaths are shown in the table.
805W
1990 1991 1992 19931 19941 Total suicides 5,544 5,486 5,486 4,894 4,787 Total deaths 564,846 570,044 558,313 578,170 551,455 Percentage 0.98 0.96 0.98 0.85 0.87 1 International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision Codes E950–E959, E980–E989 excluding E988.8 for 1990–1992; E950–E959, E980–E989 for 1993 and 1994 1 Provisional. The figures for 1993 and 1994 suicide deaths are Office of Population/Censuses and Surveys' current best estimates. The coding of causes of death in England and Wales was changed in 1993 to an automated system. Though the results from this are generally satisfactory, OPCS have identified significant problems in the coding of external causes of death. Certifications of deaths in 1993 and 1994 which could have been due to external causes are all being examined and re-coded as necessary. More reliable data, comparable to that for previous years, will be available in the first quarter of 1996.