HC Deb 15 April 2002 vol 383 cc785-6W
Kevin Brennan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on research into a cure for Duschenne Muscular Dystrophy in the last five years, and if he will make a statement. [45787]

Jacqui Smith

The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC supports a major project on the molecular analysis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the MRC Functional Genetics Unit in Oxford and the expenditure on this is about £440,000 a year.

The MRC expenditure figure on all types of Muscular Dystrophy for the last five years is an estimated £3.7 million. It is not possible to extract Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy spending specifically from this total as so much of the work is basic in nature and could apply to all forms of the disease.

The Department provides support funding for research commissioned by charities and the research councils that take place in the NHS. Management of much of the research supported by NHS research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department.