§ 7. Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he can give an explanation of the fact disclosed in the Annual Report of the Registrar of Dumbarton, for 1943, that the infant mortality rate in the Burgh rose to 87.3 per 1,000 births, a rise of 14.5 as against the previous year.
Mr. JohnstonThe figures for 1943 quoted by the hon. Member have not yet been adjusted by the Registrar General to include births and deaths of Dumbarton children which took place outside the Burgh boundaries, but I will see to it that the figures whenever available are supplied to the hon. Member. The adjusted rates for the three previous years 1940–41–42, of 83, 120, and 65 infant deaths per 1,000 live births respectively, represented in actual numbers of infant deaths 36, 53 and 31. The hon. Member will, of course, readily appreciate that percentage fluctuations may vary widely where the annual numbers of births and infant deaths are comparatively small.