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Lord Simon of Glaisdale
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many children under the age of 16 years were named annually in petitions for divorce filed from 1969 to the latest year for which figures are available.
The Lord Chancellor
The figures for England and Wales are set out in the table below. These statistics are collected only when decrees are made absolute, and the numbers of decrees absolute for the years from 1969 are therefore also given.
| Year | Decrees Absolute | Children Named |
| 1969 | 51,310 | Not available |
| 1970 | 58,239 | 71,336 |
| 1971 | 74,437 | 82,304 |
| 1972 | 119,025 | 130,903 |
| 1973 | 106,003 | 126,928 |
| 1974 | 113,500 | 135,334 |
| 1975 | 120,522 | 145,096 |
| 1976 | 126,694 | 152,170 |
| 1977 | 129,053 | 148,792 |
| 1978 | 143,667 | 162,655 |
| 1979 | 138,706 | 155,425 |
| 1980 | 148,185 | Not yet available |