Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of under-counting of deaths from covid-19 on death certificates; and if he will make a statement.

Weekly Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on deaths involving COVID-19 refer to deaths where COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, including in combination with other health conditions. If a death certificate mentions COVID-19 it will not always be the main cause of death but may be a contributory factor.

The data quality of death certificates is dependent on the correct identification and registration of the cause, or causes, of death by medical practitioners. More information on the publication of ONS mortality rates can be found at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/userguidetomortalitystatisticsjuly2017#registration-of-deaths