§ Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current annual expenditure on research into treatment for burns.
§ Mr. MulleyThe Medical Research Council is supporting a substantial amount of research on the treatment of burns, but since much of this work forma part of wider research programmes it is not possible to isolate a figure for annual expenditure. A major part of the research programme in progress at the MRC Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit at the Birmingham Accident Hospital is concerned with the treatment of burns and the prevention of infection in burn injuries; and the Department of Health and Social Security is also financing, under its locally organised research scheme, a study at this hospital of the functional status of peripheral blood lymphocytes from severely burned patients. The MRC Toxicology Unit is carrying out fundamental studies on the effects caused by injuries such as burns and the McIndoe Memorial Research Unit, East Grinstead, which receives a block grant from the Council, has a programme of research on tissue transplantation including studies to evaluate various types of skin preparations for use as grafts in burns patients. Research in this field is also undertaken in the universities with the aid of funds derived from other sources.
499WThe Council is also giving grant support to a clinical trial of the "Hoverbed" in the treatment of burn injury. The development and installation costs of this equipment at the Mount Vernon Hospital, North wood, were substantially met by the National Research Development Corporation and the Department of Health and Social Security.