The following items are from Children & Parliament, Autumn 1996. Children & Parliament is an abstracting service based on Hansard and published fortnightly by the National Children’s Bureau while parliament is sitting. It covers all parliamentary business affecting children and is produced in either printed or CD-ROM form. Both are available on subscription from the Library and Information Service, National Children’s Bureau, 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE (tel: +44(0)171 843 6035). (The Hansard reference is given first followed by the issue number and date of Children & Parliament.)

Measures announced in the Queen’s Speech of October 1996 include the Education Bill allowing more pupil selection in grant maintained schools, nurseries in such schools, and Ofsted inspection of local education authorities, and bills aimed at maintaining closer supervision of sex offenders.

Between 1990 and 1995 the number of twins born …