More people die in the UK because of the cold than Norway and Sweden, according to Islwyn MP Chris Evans who made the claim during a recent debate in Parliament on the rising cost of energy bills.
As many as 65 people a day die in the UK during winter as a result of cold homes – more than in Norway and Sweden where homes are easier to keep warm.
Labour’s Mr Evans has called on the UK Government to use the money raised from carbon taxes to insulate homes and help reduce the number of families living in cold and damp houses.
Mr Evans said: “In countries like Norway and Sweden, they understand that insulation is so important to protecting people from the cold – that is why in the UK we have so many more winter deaths.
“Over 1 million children are living in homes with the worst levels of insulation; what seriously concerns me is that there are millions of houses up and down the country which are not energy efficiency.
“We need the government to invest – using the £4 billion raised from carbon taxes – to make our homes better equipped for the cold months and ensure that the weather does not become a matter of life or death.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-in-reply-to="293759239439130625">@caerphillyobsvr Total Population of Nor & Swe 13.4m he's not comparing like with like is he?— Glyn Erasmus (@TheErasmo) January 22, 2013
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He is actually refering to % of death caused by winter cold
"It added: "From 1997-98, on average 18% of the UK's winter deaths were excess, compared to the 10-12% in typically colder countries such as Finland, Sweden and Norway." The figure for Germany and the Netherlands was 11%."
from Philip Rossall, Age UK
But you are right it is not a fair comaprison, UK is much warmer and would need much less effort to keep warm than Finalnd, Sweden or Norway