§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total level of Government support for research in human nutrition; and by what agencies the support is distributed.
§ Mr. DeakinsIn the financial year 1977–78 the total was approximately £3.63 million, of which my Department provided about £0.28 million and the Medical Research Council £3.35 million.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the present level of support for research in human nutrition; and whether the Government have any plans to increase that level of support.
§ Mr. DeakinsMany separate disciplines are relevant to the study of nutrition, and the totality of research is accordingly large, as is also the number of bodies with responsibilities for promoting research. Within the limits of available financial resources my Department is always glad to consider applications for research grants, and no applications in respect of well-founded projects have been rejected in recent years. Research undertaken directly by my Department is mainly related to nutritional surveys of the elderly; additional staffing resources are being made available for this work.