§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the excess winter death rate in England in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information is shown in the table.
The figures in the table give the percentage difference in the number of deaths recorded in the period December—March, compared to the average for the preceding August to November and the following April to July.
England Year Percentage difference 1988–89 +7.7 1989–90 +16.2 1990–91 +13.4 1991–92 +12.6 1992–93 +8.1
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died of hypothermia in each of the last five years, by region.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information is shown in the table:
Deaths in each regional health authority and Wales from 1988–92 where1 hypothermia (ICD 1991.6) was the underlying cause 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Northern RHA 10 6 7 10 7 Yorkshire RHA 16 9 11 11 8 Trent RHA 14 17 10 18 10 East Anglian RHA 5 5 6 14 7 North West Thames RHA 8 14 12 24 10 North East Thames RHA 25 20 19 14 17 South East Thames RHA 19 16 13 27 10 South West Thames RHA 12 11 9 14 10 Wessex RHA 9 8 9 13 9 Oxford RHA 8 10 4 13 6 South Western RHA 16 11 11 18 9 West Midlands RHA 15 12 17 38 20 Mersey RHA 7 5 5 6 6 North Western RHA 17 12 10 16 13 Wales 12 10 8 13 7 1 International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision.