Minister Austin Gatt yesterday apologised to the House for giving mistaken information in answer to a parliamentary question regarding the number of children born during the last three years whose father was declared as "unknown".

He had said at the time that the percentage was of 19.68 per cent for last year, 9.2 per cent for 2006 and 7.48 per cent for 2005.

Dr Gatt said that the correct figure should have read 9.09 per cent (352 out of 3,871 births) for 2007. This was due to raw figures being taken twice and he had instructed that appropriate action be taken against the persons concerned.

Giving the correct figures for the previous two years, Dr Gatt said that in 2005, the number of births was 3,858 of whom 328 or 8.5 per cent were declared to have "father unknown". The number rose to 371 or 9.55 per cent of a total of 3,885 births in 2006.

The minister apologised for the mistake, which, he said, did not reflect the necessary dedication normally given to parliamentary replies. He said he expressed his disappointment with the department and ordered action for the procedures normally used to verify statistics before publication to be strengthened for such mistakes to be avoided.