§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total sum his Department has allocated for research into aging in each year since 1979; and what specific amounts he has allocated to the British Society for Research on Aging over the same period.
§ Mr. WhitneyWe look to the Medical Research Council for research on the medical and related aspects of aging. The council is the main Government agency for the promotion of medical research and receives its grant-in-aid from the Department of Education and Science. The Economic and Social Research Council, which is similarly funded, supports research in the social field, including issues relating to elderly people. Research on aging is a priority area for the ESRC and in response to this 10 projects are in the process of being funded.
242WDetails of research undertaken by or on behalf of the Department are contained in the DHSS "Handbook of Research and Development". The 1985 edition has recently been published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. A copy has been placed in the Library. No research by the British Society for Research on aging has been financially supported by the Department either currently or, so far as can be ascertained, since 1979.