FOI Ref: FOI/2022/3854
You asked
Please supply ONS data regarding infant and child deaths 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2020 release is the most up to date publication on child and infant deaths. Data are also available for 2019 in previous releases of the annual statistical bulletin.
Figures released in our Child and infant mortality publications are based on date of death. Due to delays between death occurrence and registration, we take the data extract 9 to 10 months after the end of the reference year to capture as many infant deaths that occurred as possible. We recommend that occurrence-based statistics are used to monitor infant mortality patterns over time. Please see our User guide to Child and infant mortality statistics for more information on registration delays.
We do not hold analysis of child and infant mortality data for 2021 because we are still in the data collection stages due to registration delays.
Child and infant mortality data based on death occurrences for 2021 and 2022 are scheduled to be released in February 2023 and 2024 respectively.
As such, the information you have requested for 2021 and 2022 is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
Child and infant mortality data are also available by date of registration in Deaths in England and Wales, capturing the number of deaths registered in a calendar year. Final data are currently available for 2020, while data for 2021 death registrations are due to be published in Summer 2022. Therefore, this data for 2021 is also exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 200.