§ Mr. WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the incidence by health authority for each of the last five years of Erb's palsy; and what research into this condition his Department is currently undertaking. [13855]
§ Mr. BoatengInformation on the number of completed in-patient treatments of those patients admitted to National Health Service hospitals in England with a primary diagnosis of Erb's palsy for the five years up to 1994–95 has been placed in the Library. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC does not currently fund any research into Erb's palsy. It has not received any applications for funds to carry out such work. However, a working group under the auspices of the Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy (CESDI) is currently preparing guidance on the management of shoulder dystocia (misplacement of the baby's shoulder in the birth canal) which is considered to be a contributory factor in many cases of Erb's palsy.