§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding has been made available 691W for research into retinitis pigmentosa in each of the last three years; how many specialists there are who are able to treat this condition; and what collaborative projects with other European Governments there are on this condition. [146925]
§ Mr. DenhamInformation on Government funding for retinitis pigmentosa is not available in the form requested. However, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has recently funded two grants dealing with retinitis pigmentosa at a cost of approximately £0.5 million.
The total MRC spend on vision related projects for the last three years is as follows:
£ million 1999–2000 14.10 1998–99 13.99 1997–98 16.66 1 Estimated In addition, the MRC Human Genetics Unit is undertaking work on genetic disorders of the retina and the PAX6 and related genes (PAX6 is involved in the development of the eye) in the development of disease and evolution that will be relevant to retinitis pigmentosa. Estimated spend in 1999–2000 is £1.3 million.
The latest available figures on the number of ophthalmic consultants show that there are around 670 in England and Wales who are available to treat retinitis pigmentosa. There are currently no European collaborative projects in this area.