§ Mr. Lomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will ensure that the Medical Research Council, which recently received a grant from her Department to investigate the standard of fitness of the over 40's, will include in their investigation the extent to which cycling promotes fitness.
§ Mrs. ThatcherNo. The conduct of research projects carried out under the auspices of the Medical Research Council is entirely a matter for the Council's own scientific judgment. The purpose of the project to which the hon. Member is no doubt referring is not primarily to measure standards of physical fitness but to study the effects of controlled exercise therapy on the middle-aged sedentary person and in cardiac rehabilitation. This research may provide clearer evidence of the value of light exercise, which may well include cycling.