§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of babies in Northern Ireland were born with spina bifida for each year since 1978, broken down in terms of live and still births.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe information is as follows:
Year Live spina bifida births Rate per 1.000 live births Still spina bifida births Rate per 1,000 still births 1978 72 2.7 10 40.3 1979 67 2.4 19 74.8 1980 50 1.8 17 65.6 1981 52 1.9 18 75.3 1982 50 1.9 12 61.2 1983 41 1.5 7 36.1 Note: 1983 is the most recent year for which information on spina bifida births is available.