§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Surrey, North-West Mr. Grylls on 12 November, what publicity he has given to the fact that his Department will consider sympathetically applications for grants into work on new and cost-effective methods of post-marketing surveillance of drugs; which bodies he has been in touch with about this; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. VaughanA copy of the statement to which the hon. Member refers was released to the press and it has been reported in a number of professional publications. As a result of that statement, the Department has received one inquiry concerning a proposal for research in this important field. It is also considering a research proposal from the drug surveillance research unit at Southampton University which was received before my statement was published.