§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of deaths in the past seven years in which(a) paracetamol was the only drug involved and (b) paracetamol was one of the drugs involved. [7508]
§ Mrs. Angela Knight[holding answer 9 December 1996]The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 17 December 1996:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on how many deaths over the past seven years resulted from (a) paracetamol as the only drug and (b) paracetamol as one of the drugs involvedThe number of deaths associated with paracetamol reported to ONS over the past three years are shown in the attached table. The data for 1989 to 1992 are published, for each year separately, in Table 10 of Mortality statistics: injury and poisoning, England and Wales, series DH4, Nos. 16–18, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.The figures in brackets indicate the number of deaths with a mention of alcohol. These bracketed figures are already included in the unbracketed data and should not, therefore, be added to them.
Deaths from paracetamol in England and Wales 1993–95 1993 1994 1995 Death by poisoning—accident Paracetamol only 44 (9) 40 (10) 41 (6) Paracetamol with other drugs1 42(18) 54(16) 70(21) Total 86(27) 94(26) 111(27) Deaths by poisoning—suicide Paracetamol only 67 (7) 68 (5) 77 (2) Paracetamol with other drugs1 169(35) 144(20) 162(17) Total 236(42) 212(25) 239(19) Deaths by poisoning—undetermined Paracetamol only 62 (6) 52 (5) 72 (1) Paracetamol with other drugs1 68(19) 95(22) 146(29) Total 130(25) 147(27) 218(30) 1 These include deaths from paracetamol-containing compounds.