HC Deb 13 December 1999 vol 341 cc79-80W
Mr. Andrew George

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's classification is for recording children born with limb deficiency. [102317]

Miss Melanie Johnson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Pullinger, on behalf Dr. Holt, to Mr. Andrew George, dated 9 December 1999: The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the classification of limb deficiency. I am replying in Dr. Holt's absence. The National Congenital Anomaly System, based at the ONS, codes all anomalies using the International Classification of Diseases (LCD). The version currently being used is the 10th revision. The codes that cover limb reduction defects are: Q71 Reduction defects of upper limb Q72 Reduction defects of lower limb Q73 Reduction defects of unspecified limb The ONS also provides data on selected congenital anomalies to the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems. For limb reduction defects, the classification used is based on the text description provided to the National Congenital Anomaly System. Each defect is manually classified as upper, lower or both (upper and lower) and as:

  1. a. transverse: absence of limbs and digits (excluding thumb and little finger)
  2. b. preaxial: absence or partial absence of thumb/radius/tibia
  3. c. postaxial: absence or partial absence of little finger/ulna/fibula
  4. d. intercalary: absence of the limbs with hand or foot intact
  5. e. mixed: presence of more than one type of limb defect.