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Causes of Death

Volume 447: debated on Thursday 22 June 2006

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) males and (b) females aged 16 to 24 years died as a result of (i) road traffic accidents, (ii) suicide, (iii) sexually transmitted diseases, (iv) drug misuse, (v) alcohol misuse and (vi) murder/manslaughter during each year since 1990. (79500)

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 June 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) males and (b) females aged 16 to 24 years died as a result of (i) road traffic accidents, (ii) suicide, (iii) sexually transmitted diseases, (iv) drug misuse, (v) alcohol misuse and (vi) murder/manslaughter during each year since 1990. I am replying in her absence. (79500)

ONS routinely publishes numbers of deaths for causes which may be sexually transmitted, such as HIV or Hepatitis B infection. Information is not however normally available from the death certificate on the actual method of transmission for deaths from these causes and so figures for sexually transmitted diseases cannot be provided.

The most recently available information is for deaths in 2004. Figures for deaths in males and females aged 16 to 24 years for land transport accidents, suicide or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent, alcohol-related causes, and assault are shown in the table below for each year from 1990 to 2004. Figures for drug misuse are only available from 1993 onwards.

Number of deaths for males and females aged 16 to 24 by selected causes, England and Wales, 1990-20041

Land transport accidents2

Suicide or injury /poisoning of undetermined intent3

Drug misuse4

Alcohol-related5

Assault6

Male

1990

1,096

615

14

82

1991

973

563

9

77

1992

814

566

12

76

1993

617

549

136

14

93

1994

609

522

204

11

85

1995

589

477

222

12

98

1996

608

446

239

12

96

1997

614

497

260

19

83

1998

497

454

230

19

85

1999

501

433

251

15

100

2000

526

386

208

18

124

2001

561

375

234

26

112

2002

557

342

234

9

98

2003

595

366

141

15

100

2004

546

316

136

12

128

Female

1990

221

117

5

32

1991

240

134

5

46

1992

207

118

3

40

1993

153

115

29

10

46

1994

174

94

38

1

48

1995

148

112

35

1

30

1996

139

114

46

4

32

1997

143

105

43

3

28

1998

139

122

61

3

40

1999

140

108

45

4

27

2000

115

109

60

5

41

2001

124

90

58

3

40

2002

133

91

38

3

31

2003

121

91

41

5

43

2004

131

103

44

4

35

1 Data are for registrations of death in each calendar year from 1990 to 1992 and for occurrences of death in each calendar year from 1993onwards.

2 The cause of death for land transport accidents was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E800-E829for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-V89.

3 The cause of death for suicide (intentional self-harm) or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent was defined using ICD-9 codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 excluding E988.8for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and YJO-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.

4 The cause of death for drug misuse was defined using ICD-9 codes 292, 304, 305.2-305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5 for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004JCD-10 codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14, where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning and a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death record.

5 Alcohol-related deaths were defined using ICD-9 codes 291, 303, 305.0,425.5, 571 and E860 for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes F10, 142.6, K70, K73, K74 and X45.

6 The cause of death for assault was defined using ICD-9 codes E960-E969 and E988.8for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes X85-Y09 and Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children aged between 11 and 18 years died as a result of (a) road traffic accidents, (b) suicide, (c) sexually transmitted diseases, (d) drug misuse, (e) alcohol misuse and (f) murder or manslaughter in each year since 1990. (79579)

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

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 22 June 2006:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many (a) males and (b) females aged 11 to 18 years died as a result of (i) road traffic accidents, (ii) suicide, (iii) sexually transmitted diseases, (iv) drug misuse, (v) alcohol misuse and (vi) murder/manslaughter during each year since 1990. I am replying in her absence. (79579)

ONS routinely publishes numbers of deaths for causes which may be sexually transmitted, such as HIV or Hepatitis B infection. Information is not however normally available from the death certificate on the actual method of transmission for deaths from these causes and so figures for sexually transmitted diseases cannot be provided.

The most recently available information is for deaths in 2004. Figures for deaths in males and females aged 11 to 18 years for land transport accidents, suicide only, suicide or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent, alcohol-related causes, and assault are shown in the table below for each year from 1990 to 2004. Figures for drug misuse are only available from 1993 onwards.

It is assumed that most deaths from injury/poisoning of undetermined intent at ages 15 and over are cases where the harm was self-inflicted, but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. This cannot be assumed in deaths at ages under 15 and therefore deaths from injury/poisoning of undetermined intent are not included when examining suicide (intentional self-harm) in children. The table below shows the number of suicides in children aged 11 to 14, and the number of suicide or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent deaths in those aged 15 to 18.

Number of deaths in males and females aged 11 to 18 by selected cause, England and Wales, 1990-20041

Land transport accidents2

Suicide3 (aged11-14)

Suicide or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent4 (aged 15-18)

Drug misuse5

Alcohol-related6

Assault7

Male

1990

481

2

98

3

31

1991

414

2

93

1

28

1992

352

1

74

2

19

1993

234

5

76

31

3

29

1994

274

5

75

26

1

21

1995

279

1

74

35

1

36

1996

310

3

87

40

2

38

1997

275

2

79

44

8

34

1998

209

1

86

35

3

30

1999

226

2

87

45

2

43

2000

253

2

80

29

2

39

2001

247

3

82

24

5

34

2002

231

3

69

30

2

43

2003

244

0

63

20

3

37

2004

242

3

63

18

1

38

Female

1990

149

0

25

3

11

1991

139

1

31

0

19

1992

131

0

19

1

18

1993

111

2

25

5

1

18

1994

111

2

13

10

0

11

1995

77

4

30

11

0

14

1996

103

0

32

9

2

17

1997

109

3

24

15

0

12

1998

92

2

28

14

1

20

1999

96

0

34

8

1

11

2000

68

1

37

15

1

20

2001

78

2

17

18

1

15

2002

72

2

29

11

0

17

2003

72

3

20

5

1

17

2004

87

2

29

7

1

12

1 Data are for registrations of death in each calendar year from1990 to 1992 and for occurrences of death in each calendar year from 1993 onwards.

2 The cause of death for land transport accidents was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E800-E829for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes VQ1-V89.

3 The cause of death for suicide (intentional self-harm) was defined using the ICD-9 codes E950-E959 for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes X60-X84.

4 The cause of death for suicide (intentional self-harm) or injury/poisoning of undetermined intent was defined using ICD-9 codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 excluding E988.8for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.

5 The cause of death for drug misuse was defined using ICD-9 codes 292, 304, 305.2-305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004,ICD-10 codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14, where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning and a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death record.

6 Alcohol-related deaths were defined using ICD-9 codes 291, 303, 305.0,425.5, 571 and E860for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes F10, 142.6, K70, K73, K74 and X45.

7 The cause of death for assault was defined using ICD-9 codes E960-E969 and E988.8for the years 1990 to 2000, and, for the years 2001 to 2004, ICD-10 codes X85-Y09 and Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending.