§ 90. Mr. JOHN WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Health the amount of money spent on the prevention and cure of tuberculosis; the amount spent similarly on cancer; and the amount spent on research work for the prevention and cure of disease, respectively?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINIt would be difficult to estimate with any exactness the amount of the expenditure from public funds which contributes to the prevention of tuberculosis. As regards the cost of 1518 treatment, the estimated gross expenditure of local authorities during 1924–25 is £2,850,000. As regards cancer, the hon. Member is doubtless aware that no State-aided scheme of treatment is in force on the lines of the tuberculosis scheme. Considerable sums are, however, being spent on cancer research from private sources, such as the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the British Empire Cancer Campaign. There is also a co-ordinating Departmental Committee on Cancer at th 3 Ministry of Health, on which £2,300 was spent in 1924–25. As regards the third part of the question, the Vote for the Medical Research Council for the year 1924–25 was £140,000; and during that year a further sum of approximately £5,000 was spent out of the Ministry of Health Vote on research work, including the work of the Committee on Cancer.