Written question asked by Audrey Wise (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 March 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 8 March 2000. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 March 2000 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 14th February, Official Report, 344 c388W, what was the source of his Department's estimate that the risk of cerebral palsy among babies born weighing less than 1,500 grammes is 70 times higher than among babies weighing 2,500 grammes or more at birth; and what was the year and geographical area to which it applies; pursuant to his Answer of 14th February, Official Report, column 388, what steps his Department is taking to monitor trends in cerebral palsy in England, in relation to the rate of low birthweight.

Answer: Audrey Wise: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 388W, (1) what was the source of his Department's estimate that the risk of cerebral palsy among babies born weighing less than 1,500 grammes is 70 times higher than among babies weighing 2,500 grammes or more at birth; and what was the year and geographical area to which it applies; [113096] (2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor trends in cerebral palsy in England, in relation to the rate of low birthweight. [113097] Yvette Cooper: The information was obtained from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, based on figures from population registers of children and young adults with cerebral palsy in the former Mersey, Northern and Oxford Regions, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The risk estimates provided are based on data from babies born in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Data are not collected centrally on the numbers of children with cerebral palsy.

Secondary information