HC Deb 07 June 1985 vol 80 cc285-6W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make resources available to medical schools which wish to conduct research into the correlation between the numbers of women working in the leather industry and the incidence of stillbirths and births of children with deformities.

Mr. John Patten

Medical schools are allocated funds for teaching and research on the advice of the University Grants Committee which is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science.

We in this Department have received no approach from any medical school wishing to conduct this kind of research. Applications for financial support from individual researchers will always receive the most careful consideration.