§ Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is any possibility of training young physicians, surgeons and other health professionals in the combined medical and surgical treatment of patients suffering from rheumatic disorders.
680Wsource of information from which firm and reliable estimates could be made, either of the current total number or of year to year changes. It is, however, evident that there have been increases since 1971—chiefly because of increased marital breakdown as indicated by the trend in divorce statistics—and, as my hon. Friend said in reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Coventry, South-West (Mrs. Wise) on 7th July 1976— [Vol. 914, c. 610.]—the total number probably reached 650,000 in 1973. A review of sources of information about changes in the field of one-parent families between censuses and the problems of bringing estimates derived from the census up to date are to be the subject of an article by the Registrar General in a forthcoming edition of "Population Trends".