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Suicide

Volume 497: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2009

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death there were in each (1) county of England and Wales in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 to date; (292322)

(2) 10 year age cohort in England and Wales in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 to date.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking

1) how many deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death there were in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 to date, in each county in England and Wales. (292322)

2) how many deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death there were in each 10 year age cohort in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 to date in England and Wales. (292323)

Table 1 attached provides the number of deaths occurring in each calendar quarter in 2006 and 2007, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for each county in England. Unitary authorities in England are not included in areas covered by counties, and there are no counties in Wales. Total figures for the 56 unitary authorities within England and the 22 unitary authorities in Wales are included at the end of Table 1.

Table 2 attached provides the number of deaths occurring in each calendar quarter in 2006 and 2007, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by 10-year age groups, in England and Wales.

Death occurrence figures for 2008 and 2009 are not yet available in this form.

Table 1: Number of deaths occurring in each calendar quarter, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, counties in England, 2006-071, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Deaths (persons)

2006

2007

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sept

Oct-Dec

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sept

Oct-Dec

Area

England

1,034

1,004

992

898

973

1,082

897

739

North East

Tyne and Wear (Met County)

27

18

25

17

23

20

22

14

North West

Cumbria

13

15

12

19

12

7

10

5

Greater Manchester (Met County)

54

66

64

45

52

59

59

45

Lancashire

21

19

20

24

31

30

28

21

Merseyside (Met County)

30

34

32

23

21

31

29

23

Yorkshire and The Humber

North Yorkshire

13

13

9

9

9

14

7

16

South Yorkshire (Met County)

26

33

28

22

38

29

21

21

West Yorkshire (Met County)

46

37

33

36

42

38

53

37

East Midlands

Derbyshire

11

11

12

11

14

13

7

11

Leicestershire

14

12

7

13

8

4

7

4

Lincolnshire

21

16

14

20

15

18

9

19

Northamptonshire

15

12

19

7

11

16

11

5

Nottinghamshire

20

14

17

19

14

10

9

20

West Midlands

Staffordshire

11

7

15

10

16

23

15

15

Warwickshire

7

6

12

4

10

10

12

2

West Midlands (Met County)

53

48

46

34

44

56

43

25

Worcestershire

12

12

8

12

8

10

10

11

East of England

Cambridgeshire

10

12

11

10

14

13

15

14

Essex

20

25

19

15

28

29

23

11

Hertfordshire

11

18

11

16

15

15

20

11

Norfolk

19

11

16

11

16

13

10

24

Suffolk

13

14

15

12

18

19

21

11

London

Greater London

149

156

130

112

115

162

120

95

South East

Buckinghamshire

4

7

8

8

4

12

8

3

East Sussex

14

14

10

9

11

11

8

8

Hampshire

21

10

23

21

21

30

16

16

Kent

33

24

36

24

34

36

19

15

Oxfordshire

12

13

11

12

14

6

13

8

Surrey

19

27

18

11

18

19

15

15

West Sussex

9

19

14

21

18

1

11

18

South West

Devon

11

15

23

18

15

11

11

6

Dorset

12

6

8

6

5

9

10

11

Gloucestershire

20

9

10

12

16

8

7

5

Somerset

15

12

8

10

10

8

6

7

Unitary Authorities

248

239

248

245

233

286

212

167

Wales

73

59

69

67

67

64

70

53

1 Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-I0) codes X60-X84 and YI0-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner’s verdict was pending).

2 Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years.

3 Over the period 2006-07, three suicides did not have a ‘month of death’ recorded at death registration, and were therefore not included.

4 Based on boundaries as of 1 April 2009, following local government reorganisation.

5 Unitary authorities in England are not included in areas covered by counties. Therefore, not all areas within England are included in a county, and there are no counties in Wales.

6 Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar quarter.

Table 2: Number of deaths occurring in each calendar quarter where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by age group, England and Wales, 2006-071, 2, 3, 4, 5

Deaths (persons)

2006

2007

Age group

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

15-24

92

94

80

107

107

90

85

61

25-34

160

161

188

167

176

189

178

129

35-44

273

242

270

234

242

273

233

187

45-54

226

214

218

169

206

242

204

157

55-64

182

169

154

134

156

185

120

139

65-74

92

98

77

74

72

81

66

63

75-84

59

65

58

62

65

58

61

51

85+

28

28

24

22

24

34

24

13

1 Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and YI0-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending).

2 Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years.

3 Over the period 2006-07, three suicides did not have a ‘month of death’ recorded at death registration, and were therefore not included.

4 Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.

5 Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar quarter.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death there were in England and Wales in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 by profession. (292324)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death there were in each quarter in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 by profession in England and Wales. (292324)

The table attached provides the number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for each calendar quarter in 2006 and 2007, by occupational group. Due to the small numbers of suicides in individual occupations, figures are given for occupational groups, which are defined in the Standard Occupational Classification 20001. These figures do not include suicides at ages 75 and over (346 in 2006 and 328 in 2007) as occupational information is not available from death registrations for this age group, or suicides for which occupation was not recorded for other reasons (984 in 2006 and 941 in 2007).

Figures for 2008 and 2009 are not yet available in this form.

1 Office for National Statistics (2000) Standard Occupational Classification 2000 Volume I. Structure and description of unit groups. The Stationery Office: London Available online at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/classifications/current/SOC2000/index.html

Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death by occupational group by quarter, England and Wales 2006-071, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Deaths (persons)

2006

2007

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

Occupational groups

Corporate managers

29

31

41

29

25

32

37

15

Managers and proprietors in agriculture and services

42

33

33

35

33

29

21

24

Science and technology professionals

14

21

20

13

21

17

11

21

Health professionals

12

12

7

4

5

4

7

4

Teaching and research professionals

16

26

19

17

22

22

23

12

Business and public service professionals

6

15

16

17

11

14

12

11

Science and technology associate professionals

21

10

13

6

10

6

8

18

Health and social welfare associate professionals

19

19

19

20

17

24

9

13

Protective service occupations

17

8

11

12

15

12

9

8

Culture, media and sports occupations

17

23

19

20

16

15

15

13

Business and public service associate professionals

20

26

22

17

22

29

18

17

Administrative occupations

36

35

46

40

41

44

29

36

Secretarial and related occupations

12

9

10

17

18

18

13

13

Skilled agricultural trades

22

21

19

18

24

23

21

12

Skilled metal and electrical trades

69

36

41

51

57

48

57

37

Skilled construction and building trades

85

69

69

66

84

94

82

55

Textiles, printing and other skilled trades

21

27

20

19

21

25

19

21

Caring personal service occupations

26

27

35

28

20

31

20

19

Leisure and other personal service occupations

14

19

15

12

16

13

14

6

Sales and customer services occupations

36

31

24

21

30

43

24

23

Process, plant and machine operatives

49

35

46

45

43

49

43

31

Transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives

62

54

55

54

48

55

46

45

Elementary trades, plant and storage related occupations

71

70

76

71

54

72

78

53

Elementary administration and service occupations

53

64

55

38

45

68

61

33

1 Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34, excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner's verdict was pending).

2 Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years.

3 Over the period 2006-07, three suicides did not have a ‘month of death' recorded at death registration, and were therefore not included.

4 The sub-major groupings of the Standard Occupation Classification 2000 have been used in this analysis. Sales Occupations and Customer Services Occupations have been amalgamated to avoid disclosure due to small numbers.

5 Occupation is not coded at death for individuals over the age of 74, thus suicides for individuals over the age of 74 are not included.

6 Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar quarter.