§ 29. Dr. MORRIS-JONESasked the Minister of Health if he will state how much of the grant provided by Parliament annually towards the expenditure of the Medical Research Council is allocated for cancer research; how many cancer research workers there are receiving financial assistance; on what basis are the individual research workers selected; and what is the amount of grant received by each, respectively?
Sir H. YOUNGNo special allocation of any part of the inclusive grant in aid received by the Medical Research. Council from the Exchequer is made to cancer research as such. I am advised that in our present state of knowledge it is in fact neither possible nor desirable to decide the present or future relevance of particular new lines of inquiry to the special problems of cancer. To work expressly directed to cancer, the council assign at present about £6,000 a year, exclusive of expenditure upon radiology and radio-therapy. The work supported by the council is described in the annual reports which are presented to Parliament, but it is not the practice of the council to give details of the amount of the grants paid to individual research workers.
§ Dr. MORRIS-JONESCan the right hon. Gentleman explain why it is that some research workers of great distinction in this country receive no encouragement whatever from this council; and, further, would the right hon. Gentleman promise if I were to give him the name of a research worker who has spent almost his entire fortune on this particular subject, to look into the reason why he is not called upon to give his scientific knowledge to this country?
Sir H. YOUNGThe manner in which the grant is allocated by the Medical Research Council is in no way under my control, but, on the other hand, it might serve a useful purpose if the hon. Gentleman placed his information on this subject at my disposal.