§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, in view of the £140,000 grant made available from funds in the United States of America for research into the causes of retinitis pigmentosa, with reference to possible links between the eyes and the ears, he will make similar funds available from his Department for research in the field.
§ Mr MacfarlaneAlthough some research on retinitis pigmentosa is independently supported by charitable and voluntary organisations, the medical research council is the main source in the United Kingdom of public funds for research in this field. The council is always prepared to consider supporting any soundly-based projects of potential value for the effective treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, but it is not its practice to allocate specific funds until detailed scientific proposals have been scrutinised. The 317W council's current grant support for work in the field totals some £135,000, and a further £39,000 per annum is being provided for work at the council's clinical and population cytogenetics unit on a search for genetic markers for the condition.