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14.
Mr. Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has as to the number of people aged between 10 and 18 years who have died because of drug abuse since 1979.
Dr. Mawhinney
The data are not available for the age range requested. However, from 1979 to 1991, 92 deaths were registered in the United Kingdom of people aged under 20 where the underlying cause of death was given as drug dependence or non-dependent abuse of drugs. This figure does not include deaths from alcohol, tobacco or volatile substances.A breakdown of the figures by year is shown in the table.
| Deaths of those aged under 20 with underlying cause described as drug dependence or non-dependent abuse of drugs (excluding alcohol, tobacco and volatile substances) 1979 to 1991 | |
| Year | Deaths aged under 20 |
| 1979 | 7 |
| 1980 | 4 |
| 1981 | 3 |
| 1982 | 8 |
| 1983 | 5 |
| 1984 | 8 |
| 1985 | 8 |
| 1986 | 13 |
| 1987 | 5 |
| 1988 | 5 |
| 1989 | 9 |
| 1990 | 10 |
| 1991 | 7 |
| TOTAL | 92 |
Source: OPCS, GRO(S) GRO(NI). Further details available from Home Office Bulletin "Statistics of Drug Addicts notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom".