§ Mr. Sean HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the figures from 1979 to 1989 for the number of(a) spina bifida births, (b) hydroencephaly births, (c) still births and (d) cot deaths, in the Merseyside area.
§ Mr. FreemanThe information is shown in the table.
Numbers of (a) spina bifida births, (b) hydroencephaly births, (c) stillbirths and (d) cot deaths' in Mersey Regional Health Authority, 1979–88. Stillbirths Spina bifida Hydroencephalus Cot deaths 1979 278 33 45 9 1980 238 28 42 35 1981 207 25 41 46 1982 214 14 26 48 1983 156 18 22 51 1984 181 15 27 46 1985 179 13 23 53 1986 180 11 12 77 1987 175 12 7 65 1988 135 10 8 56 1 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code 798.0.