§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to collect statistics for the number of patients in each health authority area with chronic pulmonary illnesses; [29356]
(2) what estimate he has made of the prevalence of disability owing to chronic respiratory disease. [29354]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation on the incidence of individual conditions is not routinely collected centrally. We consider that it would not be cost effective to do this, due to the many conditions involved and the large 275W investment in manpower and other resources that would be required to collect, maintain and update this type of statistical information.
In 1999, however, the Department commissioned the Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development to produce a report on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The report estimated that, in a typical health authority of 500,000 people, around 3,000 in the 45 plus age group would have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
No estimates have been made on the prevalence of disability although the Government do recognise that lung disease can be very debilitating.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics for causes of death show that, in 1999, around 150,000 people died from respiratory disease.