§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of death certificates each year that refer to smoking as a cause of death. [64100]
§ Ms HewittThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Peter Bottomley, dated 17 December 1997:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on the estimated number of death certificates each year that refer to smoking as a cause of death.The table below gives the number of death certificates in each of the last five years that referred to smoking as an underlying or contributory cause of death.
Number of deaths where smoking was mentioned on the death certificate as a cause of death, 1993–97, England and Wales Year Number of deaths 1993 2,038 1994 1,313 1995 1,080 1996 744 1997 686 Smoking is only recorded as a cause of death on the death certificate for a small proportion of the deaths which are likely to be caused by smoking. According to the latest figures calculated by the Health Education Authority, there were an estimated 121,000 deaths due to smoking int he UK in 1995.