HC Deb 30 April 1984 vol 59 cc43-5W
Mr.Andrew Bowden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures for cot deaths in each of the health regions in the United Kingom, in total

Sudden Death in Infancy Syndrome (any mention) Under One Year of Age, Scotland
Region/health board area Total Social Class*
I II IIINM IIIM IV V NS
1980
Highland 11 1 7 1 2
Orkney
Shetland 1 1
Western Isles
Grampian 17 1 7 3 2 4
Tayside 12 2 6 1 3
Fife 9 2 3 1 3
Lothian 31 4 4 6 7 5 5
Borders 2 1 1
Central 6 1 3 2
Argyll and Clyde 7 2 1 1 3
Greater Glasgow 32 4 1 2 9 5 7 4
Lanarkshire 5 1 1 1 2
Ayrshire and Arran 19 1 5 2 9 2
Dumfries and Galloway 3 1 1 1
Total 1980 155 12 13 7 55 23 21 24
1981
Highland 5 1 1 2 1
Orkney 2 2
Shetland 1 1
Western Isles 1 1
Grampian 24 7 3 5 5 1 3
Tayside 5 1 2 2
Fife 16 1 4 8 2 1
Lothian 33 2 3 6 9 4 4 5
Borders 8 2 1 3 1 1
Central
Argyll and Clyde 12 2 1 4 2 1 2
Greater Glasgow 42 3 3 10 10 5 11
Lanarkshire 11 1 3 4 2 1
Ayrshire and Arran 4 1 1 2
Dumfries and Galloway 3 1 2
Total 1981 167 6 19 24 49 27 13 29
1982
Highland 8 2 1 1 3 1
Orkney 1 1

and subdivided into the socio-economic class of the parents, for the years 1980, 1981, and 1982; and what percentage was infants of single parents in each case.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The available information for England and Wales and Scotland is given in the table and relates to the numbers of deaths registered in the period 1980–82 where "cot death", "sudden infant death syndrome" or similar term was mentioned on the death certificate. The England and Wales figures for 1980 and 1981 are derived from a procedure which links deaths with the relevant births. The 1982 linked data are not yet available but a total of 1,332 cot deaths (any mention) were registered in that year. Figures for cot deaths of all illegitimate babies have been supplied for 1980 and 1981, for England and Wales, as this is available from the linked file. Accurate information concerning infants of single parents is not collected for either country.

In Northern Ireland in 1980, 1981 and 1982 there were 58, 55 and 72 cot deaths respectively; further details of social class, health areas and legitimacy is not readily available.

Region/health board area Total Social Class*
I II IIINM IIIM IV V NS
Shetland
Western Isles
Grampian 22 2 3 4 5 5 3
Tayside 9 2 4 1 1 1
Fife 15 1 1 8 1 1 3
Lothian 32 2 4 2 9 6 7 2
Borders 2 2
Central 2 1 1
Argyll and Clyde 12 1 1 1 3 1 2 3
Greater Glasgow 33 2 3 4 7 4 5 8
Lanarkshire 6 3 3
Ayrshire and Arran 8 1 1 3 2 1
Dumfries and Galloway 9 2 1 4 1 1
Total 1982 159 7 18 17 46 25 21 25
* Social class is assigned according to the father's occupation for deaths of legitimate infants and according to the mother's occupation, if stated, for deaths of illegitimate infants. Separate figures for cot deaths of illegitimate infants are not readily available.

cot deaths (any mention) by regional health authority, social class and legitimacy, England and Wales
Regional health authority All* Legitimate by social class Illegitmate
All* I II IIIN IIIM IV V Number Percentage of all deaths
1980
England and Wales 1,205 956 62 162 75 316 168 92 249 20.7
Northern 65 50 3 5 3 17 12 7 15 23.1
Yorkshire 96 72 3 9 8 25 14 7 24 25.0
Trent 84 61 3 7 5 19 16 7 23 27.4
East Anglian 52 43 1 8 3 14 6 2 9 17.3
North West Thames 81 69 3 14 8 19 13 5 12 14.8
North East Thames 84 67 5 12 5 21 12 4 17 20.2
South East Thames 82 72 3 20 7 25 8 5 10 12.2
South West Thames 55 45 6 11 5 11 8 2 10 18.2
Wessex 98 75 6 17 3 19 9 8 23 23.5
Oxford 73 63 7 7 7 24 5 4 10 13.7
South Western 98 82 5 17 5 30 12 9 16 16.3
West Midlands 122 96 9 11 7 39 20 7 26 21.3
Mersey 37 29 2 3 10 8 5 8 21.6
North Western 107 77 3 15 4 28 13 10 30 28.0
Wales 71 55 5 7 2 15 12 10 16 22.5
1981
England and Wales 1,250 986 67 157 80 332 175 102 264 21.1
Northern 70 55 1 2 2 25 13 10 15 21 .4
Yorkshire 101 79 6 8 8 24 16 14 22 21.8
Trent 107 89 6 13 7 26 24 10 18 168
East Anglian 63 50 4 9 4 13 9 6 13 20.6
North West Thames 80 62 8 9 11 17 9 2 18 22.5
North East Thames 86 71 7 9 2 25 14 6 15 17.4
South East Thames 102 73 4 22 3 25 8 9 29 28.4
South West Thames 67 59 7 12 10 20 6 8 11.9
Wessex 97 83 5 8 4 33 12 5 14 14.4
Oxford 52 43 6 11 3 11 6 2 9 17.3
South Western 101 76 3 17 9 29 8 4 25 24.8
West Midlands 117 87 2 10 2 39 17 8 30 25.6
Mersey 52 36 2 6 9 6 6 6 16 30.8
North Western 91 73 1 13 2 26 20 12 18 19.8
Wales 64 50 5 8 4 16 7 8 14 21.9
*The totals include residual social class groups in inadequately described occupations.
Notes:
  1. 1. Regional health authority = usual residence of mother.
  2. 2. Legitimacy = legitimacy at birth.
  3. 3. Social class is derived from father's occupation as recorded on the child's death certificate.
  4. 4. Information similar to that in 3. above is not available for all deaths of illegitimate infants.
  5. 5. As these figures are derived from a linked file they may differ slightly from those previously published.