anecdotal

The latest ONS figures are supported by anecdotal reports that some businesses, already facing higher costs, paused hiring ahead of the Budget.

As the data is not recorded systematically, it is not clear whether these anecdotal reports indicate an unusually high prevalence of congenital abnormalities.

"Anecdotal reports can serve as important indicators of environmental health problems," she says, but stresses that without systematic data collection, establishing evidence of a causal relationship is difficult.

According to NAS, there are about 200 children waiting to be adopted, with anecdotal evidence suggesting some are not registering as prospective adopters because of the cost of living.

"This is anecdotal. I'm not a sociologist," she added.