§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the figures announced on 8 November 1993, purporting to show that smokers need to consult general practitioners 8 million times a year more than non-smokers, were based on accurate figures or on estimates; and whether other factors including poverty, bad housing conditions and unemployment were also taken into account.
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonThe figures released on 8 November 1993 by the Health Education Authority inThe Smoking Epidemic—A prescription for change showed that smoking accounts for an additional 8 million general practitioner consultations per year in England and Wales. These were based on estimates from the 1988 and 1990 general household surveys. Respondents were asked how many GP consultations they had had during the two weeks before the survey 54WA and the numbers of GP consultations for smokers and non-smokers were compared. Adjustments to the estimates were made for age and sex so that potential excess costs were not exaggerated, but no attempt was made to adjust for other factors.