§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children were born in 2002–03; and how many women had their first child in that year. [119919]
§ John HealeyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Willetts, dated June 2003:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of children born in 2002–03, and how many women had their first child in that year.
233WBirths data for the first quarter of 2003 are not yet available. In the calendar year 2002 there were 596,122 live births in England and Wales. The latest year for which estimates are available that give whether a birth is a mother's first live birth or not is 2001. For that year it is estimated that 248,000 women had a first live birth in England and Wales. There were 594,634 live births in 2001.