To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many children have been born in Scotland with Down's syndrome in each of the past 15 years. [36338]

The information requested is as follows:

Year	Number of babies recorded with Down's syndrome1,2
1980	58
1981	48
1982	44
1983	55
1984	46
1985	51

Year	Number of babies recorded with Down's syndrome1,2
1986	39
1987	61
1988	62
1989	51
1990	58
1991	70
1992	43
19933	42
19943	52
1 Live and still births.
2 Recorded on the Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR)11.
3 Provisional.

The coverage of the SMR11 statistical inquiry from which information on Down's syndrome babies is derived has increased over the period from 75 per cent. of all live births in 1980 to 98 per cent. of all live births currently and interpretation of the data should be made against that background.