§ 78. Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he can give an estimate of the current value of research into the causes, prevention and treatment of all forms of cancer; and how much is attributable to the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
Mr. JacksonThe Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from this Department, is the main agency through which the Government support medical research. I understand that, in 1987–88, the last financial year for which figures are available, the council's expenditure for research into the causes, prevention and treatment of all forms of cancer was £9.9 million. The corresponding figure for the Department of Health was £2.3 million.
In addition, university departments and medical schools support a range of basic research from public funds, some of which will be relevant to cancer research.
Information is not collected centrally on the whole range of organisations funding research into the causes,prevention and treatment of all forms of cancer. I understand from the latest edition of the handbook of the Association of Medical Research Charities that the research expenditure of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund for the year to 30 September 1987 was £41.8 million.