§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates updated abortion statistics for(a) December to March 1994, (b) April to June 1994, (c) July to September 1994, (d) October to December 1994, (e) December to March 1995, (f) April to June 1995, (g) July to September 1995 and (h) October to December 1995 were published; and when he intends to publish the updated abortion statistics for December to March 1996. [2726]
§ Mrs. Angela Knight[holding answer 7 November 1996]The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 28 November 1996:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on updated abortion statistics.Provisional statistics relating to the receipt of notifications of terminations performed under the Abortion Act 1967 are presented in the ONS monitor series, for the following periods: March quarter (1 January to 31 March); June quarter (1 April 30 June); September quarter (1 July to 30 September); December quarter (1 October to 31 December).Final figures are later published in the ONS series of annual legal abortion statistics. For 1994, final abortion figures for each quarter are available in 1994 Abortion Statistics, England & Wales, series AB no. 21, which was published on 30 July 1995. For 1995 and the March quarter of 1996, provisional estimates of the number of legal abortions performed in each quarter are presently available. They were published or are expected to be published in the following ONS monitors: Legal abortions: March quarter 1995, series AB 96/1 on 30 January 1996; June quarter 1995, series AB 96/2 on 29 February 1996; September quarter 1995, series AB 96/3 on 9 May 1996; December quarter 1995, series AB 96/4 on 27 June 1996; and March quarter 1996, series AB 96/7 will be published on 21 November 1996. Final figures for each quarter of 1995 are expected to be published in 1995 Abortion Statistics, England & Wales, series AB no. 22, in January 1997.The factors which account for the interval between publications are the time required for the receipt, statistical processing and analyses of the notifications in preparation for their subsequent publication.