HC Deb 23 July 1996 vol 282 cc242-3W
Mrs. Ann Winterton

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors account for the interval in publication between the next edition of "Abortion Statistics, England and Wales" (series AB No. 19) and its predecessors. [36899]

Mrs. Angela Knight

The edition "1992 Abortion Statistics, England and Wales (series AB No. 19)" was published on 30 March 1995. The Office for National Statistics publishes on average, one edition a year. The present target dates for each edition are 12 to 18 months from the end of the period covered. Publication dates are determined by the time required for the receipt of HSA4 notification forms by the chief medical officers at the Department of Health and the Welsh Office, and the statistical processing and analyses of the notifications by the ONS in preparation for their subsequent publication.

The key principle of ()NS policy on the release of statistical data is that data are released as early as possible.