§ 4. Mr. CouchmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest available figure is for the infant mortality rate; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Roger Freeman)The latest available annual figure for the infant mortality rate in England and Wales is for 1987, and is 9.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. That is the lowest figure since records started.
§ Mr. CouchmanI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that encouraging reply, but he will have received reports about the spate of cot deaths reported late last week. Such deaths are always traumatic for the parents. What steps is the Department taking to investigate the strange coincidence of six deaths within a matter of a few hours in a fairly narrow geographical area?
§ Mr. FreemanI agree with my hon. Friend that they are traumatic. There is no easy answer, but over the past eight years infant mortality, which includes cot deaths, has shown a significant improvement, from about 12.8 per 1,000 to 9.2 per 1,000. I assure my hon. Friend that I will pursue an explanation for the unexplained coincidence of a number of cot deaths with the health authorities in Surrey and Hampshire.
§ Mr. Frank FieldGiven our poor standing in the international league table for infant mortality, why are the Government content to let so many babies die unnecessarily?
§ Mr. FreemanI do not accept the charge or allegation made by the hon. Gentleman. In comparing the record of this country with that of other countries one must bear in mind that we have a higher proportion of lower birth weight babies. That in turn may be due to the fact, as my hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State recently pointed out, that we have a higher incidence of teenage mothers who smoke.
§ Mrs. Maureen HicksI welcome the reduction in the perinatal mortality rates nationally, and certainly in the west midlands, but does my hon. Friend agree that that heightens the responsibility that we must show for pregnant mothers in my constituency, where I regret to say that the figure has increased to an all-time high? May I have an assurance that the Government recognise our problems and will investigate them without further ado?
§ Mr. FreemanI can give my hon. Friend that assurance. The Government certainly take this seriously. Since 1980 there has been a threefold increase in the number of intensive care cots available for such cases.
§ Rev. Martin SmythAlthough I welcome the movement to reduce the figures, can the Minister assure us that the policy of not operating on children with heart problems who have Down's syndrome is not endorsed by the Government? They can have such treatment in other countries.
§ Mr. FreemanThe hon. Gentleman asked a detailed question, about which I shall write to him.