§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest annual number of recorded cot deaths; what the figure was in 1988; and what further research is planned into cot deaths.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 2 April 1993]: The latest annual numbers of recorded cot deaths for 1988 and for 1991 are shown in the table.
Research into cot deaths is commissioned through the national health service research and development programme. The Department, together with the Anne Diamond Cot Death Appeal, is currently funding research into cot deaths in Avon. Funding for another proposal is under consideration. Work in this area commissioned by the Department of Health complements research by other agencies, including the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths and the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Since 1979 the MRC has spent just over £4.2 million on research into sudden infant death, respiratory distress syndrome and related projects.
The confidential inquiry into stillbirths and deaths in infancy, which is a long-term strategic initiative, also includes in-depth inquiries into cot death, in selected regions, in its current programme.
Cot deaths1 in England and Wales, 1988 and 1991 1988 1991 Under one year of age 1,467 935 One year and over 32 39 1 In this table cot deaths refer to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, ICD 9th revision 798.0) where the death certificate identified SIDS as either being (i) a main cause of death (deaths under 28 days of age) or (ii) the underlying cause of death (28 days and over).