To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there have been from diabetes in each year since 1997.

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

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2006

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there have been from diabetes in each year since 1997. (42020)

The latest year for which data are available is 2004. Figures for deaths where diabetes was the underlying cause of death and where diabetes was mentioned on the death certificate as a contributory factor are shown in the table below for each year from 1997 to 2004.

⁽¹⁰¹⁾The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1997 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-I0) for 200I onwards. The codes used are listed below:

Diabetes mellitus—ICD-9 250; ICD-10 EI0-EI4.

⁽¹⁰²⁾Figures are based on deaths occurring in each calendar year.

⁽¹⁰³⁾The introduction of ICD-10 for coding cause of death in 2001 means that data for diabetes as the underlying cause of death are not completely comparable with data for years before this date. The data should therefore be interpreted with caution.