§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they agree with the finding by UNICEF-UK that only 7 per cent. of mothers initiate breast feeding in Glasgow, compared with an average of 63 per cent. in the United Kingdom as a whole; and what steps they will take to bring Glasgow up to the national average.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (The Earl of Lindsay)We are not aware of any UNICEF-UK findings on this matter. A Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report, 123WA published in 1994, measured breast feeding rates in Scotland by postcode district. It found that rates at the end of the first week of life varied from 9–77 per cent. with the average for the Greater Glasgow area at 32 per cent.
We recognise the problems of low uptake of breast feeding in Scotland. My right honourable friend the then Secretary of State announced in November 1994 the following target for the Scottish diet:
The proportion of mothers breastfeeding their babies for the first 6 weeks of life should increase to more than 50 per cent. from the present incidence of around 30 per cent. by 2005.Following announcement of this target the Scottish Diet Action Group was set up to prepare an action plan to improve Scotland's diet overall. The plan was published in July 1996. It included a number of recommendations designed to help achieve the breast feeding target.
In addition, a national breast feeding adviser has been appointed and efforts are being made at the national and local levels to promote breastfeeding. Currently these efforts are showing an increase of 4.5 per cent. since 1990 in the rate of mothers breast feeding in the first week of life.