§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why the Demyelinating Diseases Unit of the Medical Research Council at Newcastle is being closed; when is the expected date of closure; what research has been carried out there over the past five years; and what research is in progress which will be affected by the closure.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe Medical Research Council will take a final decision on 21st July whether the unit should be gradually run down over the next two years on the grounds that it can no longer do its work effectively because it has not been possible to find a director of the required calibre. During the past five years the unit has continued to be concerned with research into the causation factors in multiple sclerosis. During the past three years it has also been concerned with studies on age-associated dementias.
§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what provision is being made for the research carried out at the Demyelinating Diseases Unit of the Medical Research Council to continue.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsIf the Medical Research Council decided that the unit should be closed, it would make every effort to ensure that the special skills of the staff were fully exploited.
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§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what capital expenditure has been put annually into the Demyelinating Diseases Unit of the Medical Research Council since 1972.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe information is as follows:
Equipment Building £ £ 1972–73 … … 607 885 1973–74 … … 6,672 — 1974–75 … … 44,868 3,133 1975–76 … … 51,251 67,430 1976–77 … … 16,230 44,731 119,628 116,179
§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what efforts have been made, and are being made, to find a new director of the Demyelinating Diseases Unit of the Medical Research Council; and what consultations with trade unions have taken place about the proposed closure.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsEvery effort has been made to find a new director. The Council, its Neurosciences Board and other advisers gave immediate thought to the matter on the resignation of the former director in June 1976 and the post was offered to an eminently suitable candidate, who, however, declined to accept in spite of the higher salary and the security of tenure which it would have afforded him. A committee was then quickly set up to advise on the directorship, and as an interim arrangement the former director's offer to make himself available as a scientific adviser to the unit on a part-time basis was accepted. The post was subsequently advertised and the terms of the appointment were such that application was open to candidates in a wide variety of areas of the field of neurobiology. Nevertheless, none of the candidates was of the calibre required of a unit director, and with great regret the Council took a unanimous decision that no appointment should be made.
The decision and its likely consequences were made known by the secretary of the Council in person to the staff of the unit and to the local staff side representatives, The Council will consider staff side representations at its meeting on 21st July.
§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science why the assurance given by the Secretary of the Medical 387W Research Council in August 1976 that the Demyelinating Diseases Unit would continue as a centre for research into neurological diseases is now being rescinded.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe assurance by the then secretary of the Council was given in good faith on the assumption, which has not been borne out by events, that it would be possible to find a new director.