HC Deb 12 May 1978 vol 949 cc641-2W
Mr. Reid

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the infant mortality rates in England and Wales in each year since 1948.

Mr. Moyle

Deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in England and Wales were as follows:—

1948 33.9
1949 32.4
1950 29.6
1951 29.7
1952 27.6
1953 26.8
1954 25.4
1955 24.9
1956 23.7
1957 23.1
1958 22.5
1959 22.2
1960 21.8
1961 21.4
1962 21.7
1963 21.1
1964 19.9
1965 19.0
1966 19.0
1967 18.3
1968 18.3
1969 18.0
1970 18.2
1971 17.5
1972 17.2
1973 16.9
1974 16.3
1975 15.7
1976 14.3
1977 13.6*
* Provisional.

The rates up to 1975 have been published in Table 2 of OPCS annual series DH3 No. 2 and for 1976 and 1977, in advance of the annual fable, in OPCS Monitor WR 78/12.