§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the title of each research project into social policy with particular reference to poverty, carried out since 1964 by her Department and paid for by departmental funds, together with a list of who carried out the research; how much each project cost; and what were the date and command number of each published report with a list of those reports not published, and the reasons for non-publication.
§ Mr. O'MalleyCentral management of research with ready access to classified records of each research project is a fairly recent development. The former Ministry of Health consolidated its developing research activities just prior to its merger in 1968 with the Ministry of Social Security. Research by the latter Department was largely of an internal character based on operational and administrative statistics collected, with just the beginnings of promoted research into social conditions relative to its administrative responsibilities.
A fuller account of these recent expanding developments in the research programme is given in the first Annual Report of Departmental Research and Development 1973. I am sending a copy of this to the hon. Member together with 326W one of 'Portfolio for Health 2", published through the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust, giving fuller details of all research programmes and projects current in 1972. These illustrate that on-going studies concerned with different aspects of poverty and the needs of the socially disadvantaged are being given due consideration in the overall research programme, and later this year my Department's newly created Chief Scientists' organisation will be starting a comprehensive review of the balance and content of the programme.