§ 35. Mr. Mathersasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any steps have been taken as to the result of the recommendation of the Conference on the Co-ordination of General Medical Research in East Africa that research into the social and economic development of the African should be undertaken by the Medical Research Council?
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the report of the Conference held in January, 1936. The recommendation of that Conference was not that research be undertaken by the Medical Research Council, but that, in order to help if it was decided to make an application for funds, a body of experts should visit East Africa. The report was examined by the Tropical Medical Research Committee of the Medical Research Council and by the Colonial Advisory Medical Committee, who advise me that they doubt whether any useful purpose would be served by such a visit, and that further assistance could best be rendered by the visit of individual experts to study special problems as they arise. I regret that at the present time there are no funds available from which such a scheme of further research could be financed, and I observe from the report of the Conference that the minimum sum required for their scheme was stated to be at least £30,000 or £40,000 a year.