FOI REF: FOI-2023-1284
You asked
I would like to request data on death rates across each authority in the UK, age ranges and cause of death 2019 to 2023.
We said
Thank you for your request.
Mortality rates in the UK
We are responsible for the production of mortality statistics by cause of death for England and Wales only, this is driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. In collaboration with these agencies, we publish age standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) by various sub-national geographies in the following publication: Deaths by area of usual residence, UK bulletin. This time series currently covers deaths registered between 2007 and 2021.
Unfortunately, our publications, which would show ASMRs for 2022, are delayed due to our Consultation on the future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales, as we need population statistics to calculate crude and age standardised mortality rates.
We aim to publish this sub-national analysis of 2022, including ASMRs in December 2023.
As such, the information you have requested for 2022 in the UK is exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. As a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration, and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
2023 data will be made available once the full year's data has been collected and finalised in 2024.
Mortality rates by cause of death
If you wish to receive information on mortality rates by cause of death and local authorities in England and Wales, this can be requested via our bespoke services route. Please note, this service is subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs in line with our Charging Policy. Please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk for more information.
Please note that we do not hold cause of death information for the whole of the UK. Should you wish to obtain this information for Scotland and Northern Ireland, NRS and NISRA can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.