§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what money has been given for research into meningitis in each of the last five years. [19224]
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§ Mr. Horam[holding answer 6 March 1996]: The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC, which is currently doing research in this area, receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Technology, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The Department of Health commissioned a two-year clinical trial of candidate meningococcal vaccines in 1993 at a cost of £198,528. The NHS is known to have spent £88,900 on two meningitis-related research projects since 1991.