§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the sums spent annually on research calculated to eliminate or mitigate the debilitating effects of asthma.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsI have been asked to reply.
218WThe DHSS is spending £80,000 this year on asthma research by the Medical Research Council and a total of £15,600 on eight projects under its own locally organised research scheme. The Medical Research Council itself is conducting a wide range of basic studies on respiratory diseases, allergy and other aspects of immunology which may well throw light on the mechanisms of asthma, but it cannot give a specific figure of expenditure on asthma research. Further research is supported by public funds in the universities and medical schools and by voluntary bodies, notably the Asthma Research Council.