§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what statistics his Department collates on the incidence of Erb's palsy; and what are the figures for its incidence in each of the last 10 years. [6364]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe 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 Dr. Peter Brand, dated 7 July 1997:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your recent parliamentary question on Erb's palsy.The ONS collects information through the National Congenital Anomaly System. This system, which is voluntary at all stages, has been monitoring congenital anomalies in England and Wales since 1964. The primary purpose of this system is to detect changes in the frequency of reporting any particular anomaly or group of anomalies rather than trying to estimate the prevalence at birth.The following table shows babies notified with Erb's Palsy1, numbers and rates per 10,000 live and stillbirths, England and Wales 1986–1995.
Number Rate 1986 25 0.4 1987 37 0.5 1988 34 0.5 1989 37 0.5 1990 24 0.3 1991 30 0.4 1992 21 0.3 1993 36 0.5 1994 24 0.4 1995 34 0.5 1 International Classification of Diseases 9th revision 767.6 1986–1994. International Classification of Diseases 10th revision P14.0 1995. 'Data as at 1 July 1997'.
Source:
National Congenital Anomaly System.