Written question asked by Nigel Evans (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 March 2006. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 April 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Childhood Mortality (Lancashire)

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to reduce the incidence of childhood mortality in the Lancashire area; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The responsibility for local health services now lies with the local national health service and it is for primary care trusts in conjunction with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to plan and develop services to meet the needs of their local populations.The Department has an infant mortality target of a 10 per cent., reduction in the relative gap between routine and manual socio-economic groups and England as a whole from a baseline year of 1998 (the average of 1997–99) to the target year of 2010.The Department has a number of initiatives aimed at tackling this gap in infant mortality. These include reducing maternal smoking as it is a risk factor for infant mortality, improving breastfeeding rates through a range of initiatives aimed at new and disadvantaged mothers, and improving neonatal services countrywide. In addition, the Department aims to reduce teenage pregnancy rates, since babies of teenage mothers have a 60 per cent., higher infant mortality rate than other age groups, and offer disadvantaged families greater access to healthy foods through the healthy start scheme.These initiatives are expected to reduce the infant mortality level nationally, including the Lancashire area.

Secondary information