§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the rate of(a) infant mortality, (b) still births and (c) birth defects in (i) 1985, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1987 was for the old County of Clwyd. [51533]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyThe infant mortality rate (deaths of infants under one year of age, per 1,000 live births) was 10.9 per cent in 1985, 8.7 per cent in 1986 and 10.2 per cent in 1987 for the county of Clwyd.
The still birth rates was 6.4 per cent in 1985, 5.3 per cent in 1986 and 5.0 per cent in 1987 for the county of Clwyd. These figures are based on still births of 28 or more complete weeks gestation per 1,000 births. The legal definition of a still birth was altered on 1 October 1992 to include babies born dead between 24 and 27 weeks.
The babies notified to the National Congenital Anomaly System for mothers resident in the former Clwyd health authority was 20.5 per cent in 1985, 17.7 per cent in 1986 and 12.1 per cent in 1987, per 1,000 live and stillbirths. Reporting to this system is voluntary, and differences may reflect changes in reporting practice rather than true changes in prevalence.