§ 19. Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will give the most recent infant mortality figures for Scotland; how these compare with England and Wales; and what steps he is taking still further to reduce the rate.
§ Mr. WoodburnAs the answer includes a number of figures, I shall with permission circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the information:
| INFANT MORTALITY RATE | ||||
| (Deaths of Infants under 12 months per 1,000 Live Births) | ||||
| Year | Scotland | England and Wales | ||
| 1947 | … | … | 56 | 41 |
| 1948— | ||||
| 1st Quarter | … | … | 51 | 41 |
| 2nd Quarter | … | … | 43 | 31 |
| 3rd Quarter | … | … | 40* | 28 |
| * Provisional |
§ The National Health Service recognises the special needs of expectant mothers and infants by requiring local health authorities to make arrangements for their care, to supplement the general services available to them. The Department of Health for Scotland maintain close contact with authorities and encourage them to keep extending and improving their arrangements so far as practicable.