§ 16. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Health, in view of the small amounts of money annually devoted to medical research by regional hospital boards, what plans he has for stimulating such local research.
§ Mr. PowellThe initiative here is with the boards.
§ Mr. BoydenSurely the initiative could rest with the right hon. Gentleman if Exchequer funds were available. How can the right hon. Gentleman justify the fact that Manchester will spend £100,000 on local research while the East Anglia Regional Board will spend only £1,000? Surely Manchester's needs are not one hundred times as great as those of East Anglia.
§ Mr. PowellThe central responsibility for allocating funds for medical research lies with the Medical Research Council. These are projects which the regional boards themselves have put forward and which they want to do within their own systems and resources. The amount made available by the Exchequer for these purposes is increasing.