Our ref: DE00000456607

 

11 November 2009

 

Dear Mr McGillivray,

 

Thank you for your email of 4 November to the Department of Health requesting, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, information on the number of deaths from seasonal influenza in England since the start of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. .

Your email has been passed to me for reply.

 

The information you request is not held by the Department of Health.

Information about death registrations and causes of death in England is collected by the Office of National Statistics (www.statistics.gov.uk).

 

Summary information about deaths from respiratory diseases in the flu season 2009-10 is reported weekly by the Health Protection Agency and is available on its website at the following link:

 

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1201767912921?p=1191942171484

 

On average over the last 12 years, around 8,000 deaths each year in England and Wales have been attributed to influenza.

 

If you have any queries about this response, please contact me.  Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

I hope this reply is helpful.  If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:

 

Head of the Freedom of Information Team

Department of Health

Room 317

Richmond House

79 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2NS

  

Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xxx.xx

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Department.  The ICO can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Deepa Shah

Freedom of Information Team

Department of Health