§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the excess winter mortality deaths for elderly people in the winter of 1996–97. [14208]
§ Mrs. Liddell[holding answer 3 November 1997]: 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. Chris Ruane, dated 4 November 1997:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to your recent question on the number of excess winter deaths among the elderly in the winter of 1996–97.Based on the latest available data, there were an estimated 37,800 excess winter deaths among people aged 75 years and over, and 44,800 excess deaths among people aged 65 years and over, in England and Wales during the winter of 1996–97.Excess winter deaths are defined as the number of deaths in the four months from December to March less the average of the numbers during the preceding autumn (August to November) and the following summer (April to July).