§ Sir John Farrasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the mortality rate of infants born in each of the past 10 years in the maternity unit in Market Harborough; and what is the same national rate for those years.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation is not readily available for deaths of babies born in particular hospitals and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Hospital returns for 1982 show that the number of births occurring in the maternity unit at Market Harborough is somewhat less than half of all births to Harborough county district residents.
Numbers of infant deaths and mortality rates per 1,000 live births for residents of Harborough county district are shown in the following table together with the corresponding national figures for the years 1974 to 1983.
Number of infant deaths and infant mortality rates* for Harborough County District and England and Wales, 1974 to 1983 England and Wales Harborough County District Year Numbers Rates* Numbers Rates* 1974 10,459 16.3 8 10.0 1975 9,488 15.7 11 14.3 1976 8,320 14.2 12 15.2 1977 7,841 13.8 5 6.7 1978 7,881 13.2 9 11.5 1979 8,178 12.8 9 10.9 1980 7,899 12.0 5 6.3 1981 7,021 11.1 6 8.6 1982 6,775 10.8 9 12.9 1983 6,381 10.1 10 14.3 * Rates per 1,000 live births. NoteFigures for Harborough County District should be interpreted with care as rates based on small numbers of events can fluctuate widely from year to year.