§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of public scientific research investment in the last five years went on research into(a) heart disease, (b) cancer and (c) stroke and stroke-related problems. [126530]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonFunding for research in cancer, heart disease and stroke is provided from a number of different sources, including the Government, charities and industry. The Department of Health does not routinely collect information on all research expenditure.
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 Department of Health funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the national health service. The Department also provides NHS support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that takes 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. The information is therefore not available in the format requested for all years.
Available figures for Departmental and MRC estimated expenditure on cancer research are shown in the table:
£ million Department of Health Medical Research Council 2001–02 not available 75.0 2000–01 83.8 70.0 1999–2000 77.4 52.0 1998–99 75.4 28.5 1997–98 53.0 27.0 It is important to note that scientific definitions have evolved over time and that the MRC has improved methods of capturing data and identifying spend. For these reasons, spend figures from one year to the next are not comparable.
The MRC's estimated expenditure on stroke research for the last five years is shown in the table.
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£ million 2001–02 3.9 2000–01 3.4 1999–2000 4.0 1998–99 4.0 1997–98 3.3 The MRC spent £12.3 million on heart disease research in 1998–99 and £10.5 million in 1999–2000. Figures for subsequent years are for circulatory disease research: £24.7 million in 2000–01 and £26.3 million in 2001–02.
Estimated figures for departmental spend on cardiovascular disease and stroke research are £48.9 million in 1998–99, £49.1 million in 1999–2000 and £50.9 million in 2000–01.
Annual figures for net Government spend on research and development are published in The Forward Look 2003, which is available on the Office of Science and Technology website (www.ost.gov.uk/research/forwardlook03/).