Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue a report explaining the underlying reasons for the level of excess deaths for 25 to 64-year old men in England between the start of the covid-19 pandemic and the end of 2022.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has been reporting on excess mortality in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, via its Excess Mortality report, which is updated monthly. The report includes weekly estimates of excess deaths, including for men aged 25 to 64.

OHID’s report estimates that there have been 19,293 excess deaths for men in this age group across the course of the pandemic in England (deaths registered between 21 March 2020 and 30 December 2022). During this period, deaths for men aged 25 to 49 have been 11% higher than expected and deaths for men aged 50-64 have been 18% higher than expected.

The Department is closely monitoring figures on excess deaths and OHID will continue to update their monthly report. No additional reporting on excess deaths for men aged 25 to 64 is planned.

It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to excess deaths, including the ongoing challenges and impact of COVID-19, and health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.