§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) of 2 April,Official Report, columns 430-34, he will list the other studies currently under way on leukaemia clusters referred to in column 430 and state who is funding them; if he will list the other studies of workers receiving high radiation doses referred to in column 431 and state who is funding them; which Government Departments are involved in the co-ordination of research and what arrangements have been made; and if he will list the related research proposals into the offspring of radiation workers referred to in column 431.
§ Mr. FreemanIn respect of the studies currently under way on leukaemia clusters, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 15 February at columns397-98. The studies are being funded by the Scottish Office (Dounreay studies) and the Department of Health.
The studies referred to in my earlier reply comprise those referred to previously and, in addition, a number of proposals for research submitted to the Department and to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as well as research commissioned independently of Government. The HSE has drawn up a protocol investigation at Sellafield. This investigation will be in two parts: the first will consist of an epidemiological case-control study comparing the occupational records of the case fathers with those of matched controls; the second is a case-only study into the particular operational histories of the fathers of the leukaemic children.
The lead Government Department involved in co-ordination of research is the Department of Health, in collaboration with HSE, and a co-ordination group has been established for the purpose of expediting progress on existing and proposed research. Other Government Departments and the Medical Research Council will provide representation as appropriate.
In relation to the proposed studies of the health of the offspring of radiation workers, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 7 March at columns 646-47.