§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the figures for 1979 and 1980 and the most recent rates of caesarian section as a percentage of total births in England and Wales; and if he will break these down to show the figures for each regional health authority.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergData for 1979 and 1980 are not yet available. The numbers of caesarian sections as a percentage of total births in England and Wales, Wales, and the English regional health authorities in 1978 were as follows:
Number of Caesarian Sections as a Percentage of Total Births, 1978, England and Wales, Regional Health Authorities Percentage rate Area of residence England and Wales 7.2 Wales 5.3 Regional health authority Northern 7.2 Yorkshire 6.8 Trent 7.2 East Anglian 6.1 North-West Thames 7.3 North-East Thames 9.0 South-East Thames 7.0 South-West Thames 8.2 Wessex 7.6 Oxford 6.2 South Western 7.6 West Midlands 7.1 Mersey 7.3 North Western 7.6
Estimated* world prices Common levy†‡ United Kingdom MCA† United Kingdom levy† £/tonne £/tonne £/tonne £/tonne Beef and veal 923 ║1,019 195 1,214 Sheepmeat 1,376 ¶— — — Pigmeat 723 257 91 348 Poultrymeat 601 168 26 194 Eggs 232 175 30 206 Butter 1,264 845 231 •1,077 Skimmed milk powder 509 412 97 509 Common wheat 74 63 13 76 Barley 64 61 12 73 Maize 60 66 12 77 Rice 156 270 — 270 Olive oil 656 217 — 217 Sugar 116 235 37 ▀272 * World prices have been taken as the minimum offer prices of imports underlying the calculation of the variable levies and have been calculated by subtracting the levies in ECUs applicable on 27 October from the appropriate threshold/guide price in ECUs. The beef price is also adjusted for duty. For eggs the "world price" has been taken as the sluicegate price less supplementary levy; for pigmeat and poultrymeat sluicegate prices have been taken. "World prices" have been converted from ECUs at the market rate used for calculating the MCA on 27 October of 1.83075 ECU=£1.
† The rates of levy and United Kingdom MCAs in force on 27 October 1982. These rates vary for different tariff headings. The rates quoted are: beef and veal—carcase; pigmeat—carcase; poultrymeat—70 per cent. chickens; rice—wholly milled long grain; olive oil—virgin lampante.
‡ For most commodities common levy in sterling has been obtained by converting the common levy in ECUs at the representative rate and