HC Deb 27 March 1984 vol 57 cc157-8W
Mr. Soley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish a table showing the number of Down's syndrome babies born in the Hammersmith, or nearest equivalent geographical, area in each year since 1970.

Mr. John Patten

The available information is shown in the following table.

Number of babies born with Down's Syndrome in the London Borough of Hammersmith*, 1970 to 1982.
Year Number
1970 2
1971 1
1972 1
1973
1974
1975 2
1976 1
1977
1978 3
1979 2
1980 1
1981 1
1982 1
* Name changed to Hammersmith and Fulham in 1979.

Figures are derived from a voluntary system of notifying congenital malformations observed at birth or up to seven days after birth; they are, therefore, an incomplete measure of the total number of affected infants since many are not diagnosed until after the first week of life.