Aycliffe School (Diet Experiments)

HC Deb 15 December 1987 vol 124 cc491-2W

Mr. Gregory

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the reply of 1 December,Official Report, column 444, what information he has as to whether the proposed experiments into children's diet and health at Aycliffe community school, County Durham, will be directly or indirectly funded by a health food company whose products form part of the experiment.

Mrs. Currie

I understand that, if the study proceeds, funds for the cost of the research time and any additional food costs are to be provided by an organisation called the British Society for Nutritional Medicine, which intends to raise the money from a variety of sources including the "health food" industry and suppliers.

Mr. Gregory

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the reply of 1 December,Official Report, column 444, what information he has as to the membership of the steering committee established to oversee the proposed study into diet and behaviour at Aycliffe community school, County Durham, and their qualifications.

Mrs. Currie

I am informed that the membership of the academic steering committee which has been established to oversee the proposed study is as followsProfessor I. Kolvin—Professor of Child Psychiatry, Newcastle. Dr. Eastham—Consultant Nephrologist and Paediatric Dietician, Newcastle district health authority. Professor Dickerson—Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry, Surrey University. Dr. Damian Downing—Dietician, Secretary of British Society of Nutritional Medicine. Mrs. Caroline Fitzgibbon—Reader in Statistical and Research Methodology, Newcastle University. Dr. M. S. Hoghughi—Clinical Psychologist and Principal of Aycliffe School.