Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a breakdown of the number of people in the UK who have died of COVID-19 (1) as a contributory, and (2) as the main, cause of death since 23 March.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Dear Lord Dobbs,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are to publish a breakdown of the number of people in the UK who have died of COVID-19 (1) as a contributory, and (2) as the main, cause of death since 23 March (HL3769).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent year for which mortality statistics are available is 2018[1], however we do publish provisional statistics for weekly deaths registrations, which are currently published for deaths registered up to 24 April 2020[2]. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

The most up-to-date figures on the number of deaths registered in England and Wales involving COVID-19 as a contributory cause of death are available in the weekly deaths bulletin[3] and accompanying dataset[4]. These data provide provisional numbers for deaths where COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. These data are released every Tuesday.

A breakdown of the number of deaths in England and Wales where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death was published in a separate article^[5] and accompanying dataset[6] on deaths involving COVID-19 that occurred in March 2020.These data include the number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was COVID-19, that occurred between 1 March and 31 March, registered up to 6 April 2020 in England and Wales. Figures for April will be published in mid-May.

NRS publish weekly statistics[7] on the number of deaths in Scotland where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death, or where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The latest data available are for deaths registered up to the week ending 26 April 2020. NRS are also planning to release a detailed monthly report on COVID-19 deaths in the upcoming weeks.

NISRA publish provisional weekly deaths statistics[8] for Northern Ireland which have now been extended to include data on deaths where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The latest data available are for deaths registered up to the week ending 24 April 2020.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsregisteredinenglandandwalesseriesdrreferencetables

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending24april2020

[3]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest

[4]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwales

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurringinmarch2020

[6]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwalesmarch2020

[7]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats

[8]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/weekly-deaths