§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of epidural injections given to mothers giving birth in (a) Waltham Forest and (b) Britain in 1983 and so far in the current year; and what percentage this represents of total births in each category.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that in England during 1982 (the latest year for which data are available) epidural, spinal and cordal injections were given to mothers in 13 per cent. of all deliveries. This estimate is subject to error, as it is based on a 10 per cent. sample which is also insufficient for a reliable estimate to be made for Waltham Forest.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will sponsor research into the use of epidural injections as a painkiller during childbirth to consider (a) its links with possible brain damage and death and (b) its frequency of use; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenThe commissioning of biomedical research of the kind suggested is primarily the responsibility of the Medical Research Council. The results of pilot studies which the Department has funded to determine, inter alia, if information on the frequency of use of epidurals as analgesia during labour can be collected routinely as part of the patient information system recommended by the steering group of Health Service information, are now being considered.