§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of cot deaths in 1984 occurred within families living in rural areas.
§ Mr. John Patten:Figures for the full year 1984 are not yet available. Of the 956 deaths in the first three quarters of 1984 with mention of cot death or similar term on the death certificate, 93 (9.7 per cent.) were usually resident in the 78 county districts which were classified in the 1981 census preliminary report as "Remoter largely rural, districts". These districts contain approximately 10 per cent. of the population of England and Wales.