§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each of the 13 research units currently subject to peer review(a) the name of the unit director or, if the post is currently vacant, the name of the previous director and date of resignation, (b) the date of the site visit, (c) the date on which the report of the review was made public and (d) the timetable for making decisions about the future of each unit; and if she will place a copy in the Libary of each review report which has been completed.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe names of unit directors and the dates of site visits are shown in the table. In accordance with the Department's preferred practices for the commissioning and management of all research and development, expert peer review of long-term research contracts is well established and reports are discussed fully with unit directors. Once finalised, these reports take the form of advice to the department's director of research and development and are not published. With the agreement of unit directors, we are arranging to place in the Library copies of the reports they have prepared for site visits, together with the conclusions of the site visit team. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 June 1993 at column421, which stated that decisions about the future of units will be announced once the series of site visits has been completed and following due discussion and full consideration. Earlier decisions may be required, depending on the particular circumstances of the unit and we are pleased to announce that the director of research and development has now invited Oxford university to provide proposals on terms and conditions so that the post of director of the national perinatal epidemiology unit can be filled.
241W
Research Unit Director Site visit date (most recent or planned) Childhood Cancer Research Group Dr. G. J. Draper October 1991 Medical Care Research Unit Professor B. T. Williams October 1992 National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Vacancy June 1993 Previous director, Dr. I Chalmers, resigned September 1992. Interim management arrangements were agreed with the unit's steering committee and involve a rotating post of acting director. Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit Professor W. W. Holland July 1993 Cancer for Primary Care Research Dr.D.Wilkin July 1993 Cancer Screening Evaluation Unit Professor J. Chamberlain October 1993 National Institute for Social Work Dr. J. Pahl October 1993 Clinical Operational Research Unit Professor R. R. P. Jackson November 1993 Social Policy Research Unit Professor S. Baldwin Planned for January 1994 Site visit dates for the following units are in planning for early 1994. Personal Social Services Research Unit Professor B. Davies Centre for Health Economics Professor A. K. Maynard Dartington Social Research Unit Professor S. Millham Thomas Coram Research Unit Professor H. McGurk