§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) of 4 July,Official Report, column 97, on employment data on administration of research and development in the national health service, if she will now make it her policy to establish arrangements to collect the data centrally.
§ Dr. MawhinneyI have no current plans to collect centrally such comprehensive data.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the priority-setting exercises which have been undertaken by her Department and NHS regions, and those currently under way, giving in each case (i) the amount of research funds to be allocated in each year and (ii) the total costs of the exercise in each year, showing separately the costs(a) to the Department of Health and NHS executive, (b) to the lead NHS region, (c) in time spent by research staff funded by the Department, (d) in time spent by other academic staff employed by universities, (e) in time spent by other NHS staff and (f) other costs.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 15 July 1994]: The current list of research priority setting exercises for the national health service research and development programme is shown in the table.
- review exercises completed
- Mental Health and Learning Disabilities
- Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
- Physical and Complex Disabilities
- Primary and Secondary Care Interface
- Health Technology
- Cancer
- review exercises underway
- Mother and Child Health
- Methods of implementing research findings in the Health Service
- Dentistry
- Diabetes
The financial costs for each of these exercises cannot be disaggregated.
The other information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the total costs of her Department's research and development programme in each year from 1991–92 to 1993–94, what are the estimated costs for 1994–95 and the projected costs for each of the next five years; and if she will show, in each case, the funds allocated to (i) the centrally-funded research programme, (ii) the national health service research and development programme, (iii) running costs in the Department of Health, (iv) running costs in the NHS executive and (v) other costs, listing all significant areas of expenditure.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 15 July 1994]: Details on the Department's central research and development expenditure, including the National Health 208W Service executive, are collected annually in the "Forward Look of Government Funded Science, Engineering and Technology".
The total costs of the Department's research and development programme, including the NHS executive research and development programme for 1991–92 to 1993–94, as quoted in the 1994 forward look are set out below. These costs are based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Frascati definition of research which excludes running costs. Details on the running costs of the Department's research and development division, which oversees the centrally commissioned and NHS executive R and D programmes, are given in the second column of the table. The running costs include all manpower and non-manpower expenditure.
Year £ million Research cost Total £ million Actual running cost Total 1991–921 27.4 1.77 1992–931 31.3 2.27 1993–941 2 33.9 32.55 The estimated costs for 1994–95 are as follows: 1994–951 41.2 2.58 1 Forward Look of Government Funded science Engineering and Technology 1994, Statistical Supplement (HMSO) for details of total R and D spend. The information on running costs is drawn from the Departmental sources. 2 Estimated outturn for 1993–94. 3 Actual running costs, 1993–94. The R and D costs of the Department of Health sponsored non-departmental public bodies are not included in the table.
All future spending and running costs of these programmes, including the NHS executive R and D programme, are subject to departmental discussions and to the decisions arising out of public expenditure rounds.
A copy of the 1994 forward look is available in the Library.