HC Deb 05 May 2004 vol 420 cc1499-501W
Paul Flynn

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides were recorded in the UK in each of the last 10 years for(a) children and (b) adults. [169895]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 May 2004:

The most recently available information is for 2002. In routine statistics, ONS defines suicides as deaths from suicide and deaths from "injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted". In adults it is likely that most of these latter deaths are cases where the harm is self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves so the Coroner returns an open verdict. This may not be the case in children, however, where open verdicts may not relate to self-inflicted injury. Therefore, figures for suicide and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted are given separately in the attached table for the calendar years 1993 to 2002.

Note that, for this purpose, children have been classified as persons aged under 15, with adults aged 15 and over. This is to achieve consistency with previous published analysis.1

1Brock A and Griffiths C. Trends in suicide by method in England and Wales, 1979 to 2001. Health Statistics Quarterly 20 (2003), 7–18.

Number of deaths from suicide1and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted,2in (a) children3and (b) adults4—United Kingdom, 1993 to 20025
Children3 Adults4
Calendar year Suicide1 Undetermined injury2 Suicide1 Undetermined injury2
1993 14 36 4,449 1,815
1994 13 26 4,368 1,722
1995 10 22 4,305 1,802
1996 6 25 4,160 1,691
1997 7 28 4,136 1,822
1998 6 19 4,383 1,774
1999 5 17 4,443 1,751

Total number of conceptions, and number terminated by abortion, by month of conception for women of all ages England and Wales, 1997 to 2001.
1997 1998 1999
Month of conception Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion
January 68,474 15,090 70,830 15,996 66,243 14,756
February 59,661 12,703 60,239 13,597 58,867 13,142
March 65,927 13,651 65,469 14,302 66,405 14,853
April 64,721 14,318 63,996 14,997 63,504 14,813
May 68,598 15,204 66,065 14,974 63,658 14,400
June 65,226 13,617 65,889 14,755 63,287 14,572
July 67,517 14,127 67,162 15,069 65,316 14,596
August 66,731 13,543 66,897 14,261 64,831 14,003

Number of deaths from suicide1and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted,2in (a) children3and (b) adults4—United Kingdom, 1993 to 20025
Children3 Adults4
Calender year Suicide1 Undertermined injury2 Suicide1 Undertermined injury2
2000 9 21 4,282 1,673
2001 7 12 4,006 1,725
2002 8 16 4,059 1,664
1Deaths with a verdict of suicide were defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950–E959 for the years 1993 to 2000 for England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and for 1993 to 1999 for Scotland, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60–X84 for the years 2001 and 2002 for England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and for 2000 to 2002 for Scotland (which also includes Y87.0).
2Deaths with a verdict of injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted were defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980–E989 for the years 1993 to 1999 for Scotland and for the years 1993 to 2000 for Northern Ireland, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 for the years 2000 to 2002 for Scotland (which also includes Y87.2), and the years 2001 to 2002 for Northern Ireland. Data for England and Wales were defined using ICD-9 E980–E989 excluding E988.8 and ICD-10 Y10–Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.
3Children were classified as persons aged under 15 to be consistent with previous analysis.6
4Adults were classified as persons aged 15 and over to be consistent with previous analysis.6
5Data for England and Wales are for deaths occurring per calendar year. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are for deaths registered per calendar year.
6Brock A and Griffiths C. Trends in suicide by method in England and Wales, 1979 to 2001. Health Statistics Quarterly 20 (2003), 7–18.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many conceptions resulted in termination in each year since 1997, broken down by month; and if he will make a statement. [170092]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 5 May 2004:

The most recent year for which figures are available is 2001.

The total number of monthly conceptions and conceptions terminated by abortion for women of all ages, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2001 are given in the attached table.

Total number of conceptions, and number terminated by abortion, by month of conception for women of all ages England and Wales, 1997 to 2001.
1997 1998 1999
Month of conception Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion
September 64,943 13,250 66,692 14,223 63,865 14,278
October 70,393 14,971 69,075 15,106 65,797 14,566
November 66,952 14,016 65,145 14,007 65,106 14,343
December 71,218 16,011 69,520 16,094 67,085 16,267
Total 800,361 170,501 796,979 177,381 773,964 174,589

2000 20011
Month of conception Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion Total conceptions Conceptions terminated by abortion
January 66,116 15,183 67,873 15,794
February 61,406 13,927 58,089 13,665
March 65,566 15,157 63,188 14,867
April 61,101 13,991 59,642 14,067
May 64,791 15,181 65,256 15,773
June 62,811 14,606 62,501 14,835
July 61,893 13,617 62,104 13,831
August 65,458 14,308 65,339 15,067
September 62,641 13,918 61,812 13,763
October 65,011 14,431 66,363 15,031
November 64,044 14,704 64,595 14,840
December 66,117 15,339 66,669 15,302
Total 766,955 174,362 763,431 176,835
1Provisional.
Source:
Office for National Statistics.

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