§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the infant mortality rate for the Forth Valley health board area for each of the years 1980, 1981 and 1982; and what significance he attaches to the statistics.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe rates for 1980, 1981 and 1982 are 11.2, 14.4 and 14.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births respectively. Variation of this magnitude is not inconsistent with the longer term downward trend in the Forth Valley health board area, indicated by rates for earlier years and the provisional 1983 rate of 9.5.