§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research is being undertaken by the Medical Research Council on the question of the relationship between unemployment and health; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe research which is most directly relevvant to the relationship between unemployment and health is being carried out at the social and applied psychology unit at Sheffield university, which is a unit jointly funded by the Medical and the Social Science Research Councils. This unit is examining the psychological consequences of unemployment, by collecting data on the mental health of several different groups of people, including redundant steel workers, and by examining associated factors such as self-esteem and anxiety. A number of other MRC units are undertaking research on stress and anxiety. This wider research is not directly related to unemployment but may have implications in this area.