§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if there are any plans for a programme of research into the treatment and cure of hay fever; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldenThe Medical Research Council is the main Government agency for the support of biomedical research. In the financial year 1985–86, the last year for which figures are available, the Council spent approximately £616,000 on research projects directly and indirectly related to hay fever. The council is always willing to consider soundly based research grant applications in competition with other applicants.
Research into hay fever may also be carried out in universities and medical schools using funds for teaching and research allocated on advice from the University Grants Committee. The Government are not in a position to influence directly the scale and nature of this research activity.