The latest figures show the birth rate increased by 4.7% last year to 1.73 children per mother, significantly higher than in nearly all other European countries.
Some of the newspapers put it down to the �Beckham effect.�
More couples stayed at home to watch the World Cup last summer and felt excited watching the football!
I remember similarly unscientific but entertaining reasons being given for an increase in the birth rate following the power cuts in the 1970s. For those too young to remember, there were evenings each week when we were all plunged into darkness. No lights, no TV, just candles and an early night.
Both Beckham and the blackouts may have an impact on people�s behaviour. But the experts say that more fundamental considerations are more important when people make decisions about having children.
Can we manage? Have we got space? Would we like a sibling for our existing child or children? How optimistic are we about the future?
This is born out by the different experiences across Europe. In southern European countries like Italy the birth rate has plummeted from one of the highest to one of the lowest in a generation. This is largely put down to the big increase in the number of women going out to work.
Yet in the Scandinavian countries and Britain women have worked in larger numbers for longer and we�ve got some of the highest birth rates in Europe.
The difference is that in Scandinavia and recently in Britain, governments have made it easier for working parents, while in countries like Italy such support is lacking.
Nursery care, after school clubs and better financial support for families through the Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit all make a difference to parents trying to balance work with their family life.
Supporting families is important for the rest of us too. Children are the next generation of wealth creators and tax payers. Without them, who will pay for services and support we will need when we�re older?
