HC Deb 21 October 2003 vol 411 cc484-5W
Mr. Hepburn

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged 65 years or over have died of influenza in(a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [133214]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Hepburn, dated 21 October 2003: As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people aged 65 years or over died of influenza in (a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. (133214) The information requested is given in the table below.

Numbers of deaths from influenza for people aged 65 and over,1 1997 to 20012, for South Tyneside local authority, the former county of Tyne and Wear, North East Government Office Region and the United Kingdom3
Number of deaths
Year South Tyneside Tyne and Wear North East United Kingdom
1997 - * 7 413
1998 - - * 129
1999 * 17 35 598
2000 * 8 32 630
2001 - - * 27
- Zero deaths
* Fewer than 5 deaths
1 Deaths with an underlying cause of influenza defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 487 for the years 1997 to 2000 and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes J10 and J11.
2 Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year, except for data for Scotland and Northern Ireland included in the United Kingdom totals. These are deaths registered in each calendar year.
3 Deaths of usual residents of these areas.