§ Dr. Godmanasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many divorces there have been in the Province in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will express these figures as a rate in respect of marriages;
(2) if he will now reply to the question from the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow tabled for priority written answer on 4 July, 24W, concerning divorces in the Province.
§ Mr. ScottThe information is as follows:
Year Number of divorces (Decrees Absolute) Divorce rate per 1,000 marriages 1981 1,355 14.1 1982 1,387 14.0 1983 1,678 16.8 1984 1,547 14.9 1985 1,602 15.5