To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many 11 to 15-year-olds started smoking in each year since 1983.

The information is not available in the format requested.

We do not hold information on how many 11 to 15-year-olds start smoking each year. We do, however, hold information on the proportions of pupils within that age range who have ever smoked or who regularly smoke.

Information on the prevalence of smoking among 11 to 15-year-olds from 1982 to 2012 is shown in tables 2.1a and 2.1b of “Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2012”.

This publication has been placed in the Library.