Multiple Births (Hansard, 1 July 1998)

§ Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sets of(a) twins, (b) triplets, (c) quadruplets, (d) quintuplets and (e) sextuplets were born in Scotland in

Table 1
Type of birth	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997¹
Twins:
2 live births	711	682	790	751	762	780	775	774
1 live birth, 1 stillbirth	15	22	11	25	13	31	22	13
2 stillbirths	5	5	6	4	3	5	3	4
Triplets:
3 live births	14	18	15	10	16	27	27	17
2 live births, 1 stillbirth	2	4	—	—	—	1	2	3
1 live birth, 2 stillbirths	—	2	—	—	—	1	—	—
Quadruplets:
4 live births	1	1	—	—	—	1	—	1
3 live births, 1 stillbirth	—	1	—	—	1	—	—	—
Number of maternities	65,556	66,630	65,307	62,946	61,224	59,271	58,831	58,925
¹1997 figures are still provisional

Table 2 presents data not previously available on the numbers of multiple births following in-vitro fertilisation and donor insemination at licensed clinics in Scotland. Data were not collected before 1 August 1991 and information for gamete intra-fallopian transfer and other forms of assisted conception is not available.

Table 2
	Donor insemination	In-vitro fertilisation
	Twins	Triplets	Twins	Triplets
1991	1	0	24	3
1992	2	0	35	2
1993	4	0	45	2
1994	5	1	51	7
1995	8	1	76	8
1996	6	0	23	2

Notes:

1. The figures are based upon the latest verified data, covering treatments carried out from the start of the HFEA register (1 August 1991)

2. Data for 1991 are for 1 August 1991 to 31 December 1991 only

3. Data for 1996 are for 1 January 1996 to 31 March 1996 only

4. No quadruplets, or higher murtiple briths, have been recorded

Source:

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)

Parliamentary constituency	(a) Estimate of population aged 17 and over plus 63 per cent. of 16 year olds (as at 30 June 1997)	(b) Parliamentary electors on the 1997 electoral registers (qualifying date 10 October 1997)	(b) as a percentage of (a)
Aberdeen Central	55,600	53,713	96.6
Aberdeen North	57,000	55,009	96.5
Aberdeen South	63,200	60,968	96.5
Airdrie & Shotts	60,400	58,534	96.9
Angus	61,600	60,427	98.1
Argyll & Bute	51,000	50,271	98.6

198W

each year from 1990 to 1997; and how many multiple births of each type in each year were conceived as a result of (i) in-vitro fertilisation, (ii) gamete intra-fallopian transfer and (iii) other forms of assisted conception. [46931]