§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in the northern region have been born with a defective hand in each year since 1989 and if she will also list the name of the village or town of each child.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information is shown in the table.
The numbers of children born with a defective hand 1(ICDs 755.0, 755.1, 755.2, 755.4, 755.5, 755.8, 755.9) notified to OPCS in each year 1989 to 1992 for the Northern Regional Health Authority and individual district health authorities 1989 1990 1991 1992 NORTHERN RHA 45 33 47 34 Hartlepool 1 2 1 3 North Tees 1 0 2 1 South Tees 4 4 3 4 East Cumbria 2 0 1 2 South Cumbria 3 0 2 5 West Cumbria 0 3 1 2 Darlington 1 0 4 0 Durham 4 4 1 0 North West Durham 2 3 0 1 South West Durham 6 2 4 3 Northumberland 3 3 9 2 Gateshead 1 3 2 5 Newcastle 8 3 6 2 North Tyneside 3 2 2 1 South Tyneside 1 1 4 1 Sunderland 5 3 5 2 1 ICD ninth revision international classification of disease code. The data are presented according to districts in order to protect the confidentiality of individuals. We have great sympathy for the parents of children who are born with limb defects. It is unfortunate that in the present state of scientific knowledge the causes of most defects of this kind are not known. We are aware of the need for a prompt and thorough investigation into the reports of unexpectedly high occurrences of birth defects.
The investigation of recently suspected or reported clusters of limb reduction defects has been initiated by district health authorities, through directors of public health, who are taking expert advice, in concert with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. For the last 30 years OPCS has maintained a national monitoring system for collecting data about malformations among newborn babies.
OPCS is currently conducting a national analysis of limb reduction defects to scrutinise the geographical 538W pattern. This should be completed within a few weeks. The Department, with OPCS, is in discussion with the environmental epidemiology unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which also incorporates the small area statistics unit, to identify and make provision for the additional expertise that may be required.
The results of these investigations will be considered carefully and decisions about any further action that might be necessary will be made as quickly as possible.