§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase funding support for research into alternatives to live vaccines. [8700]
§ Mr. HoramThe main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. The MRC gives high priority to research relevant to developing new and improved vaccines against diseases. A proportion of this is relevant to developing alternatives to live vaccines.