HC Deb 20 November 1996 vol 285 cc558-9W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many(a) people and (b) children under the age of 18 years have been diagnosed as alcoholics in Wales in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [4411]

Mr. Gwilym Jones

The information requested is not available centrally. However, the number of finished consultant episodes in NHS hospitals in Wales in each of the last five years where the primary diagnosis was alcohol dependency syndrome is given in the following table. The figures do not relate to the number of people treated as one person may have more than one finished consultant episode during the period. Only those admitted to NHS hospitals are included.

Finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of alcohol dependency syndrome
People aged under 18 People aged 18 and over Total
1991–92 10 1,261 1,271
1992–93 5 1,316 1,321
1993–94 3 1,191 1,194
1994–95 6 1,252 1,258
1995–961 4 746 750
1 Data for 1995–96 are not comparable to earlier years as records are not yet available for all hospitals and the diagnosis code used was different from earlier years.