§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what consideration has been given by the Committee on Safety of Medicines to the United States 809W "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" dated January 1985, which was sent to the then Minister for Health by Mr. C. S. Harrington, the chairman of the National Reyes Syndrome Foundation;
(2) how many young persons have been reported as suffering from Reyes syndrome since 1981; and what change there has been in the incidence of the syndrome following the official advice in June 1986 that aspirin should not be given to children;
(3) what has been the cost of the British Reyes syndrome surveillance scheme for each year that it has existed; what has been the additional cost of the risk factor study; who has paid for the surveillance scheme and the study; what contribution to their costs have come from public funds; how the surveillance scheme currently is being funded; and what steps are being taken to ensure that future funding is adequate.
§ Mrs. CurrieI shall let the right hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what requests for funding into research related to Reyes syndrome have been made to his Department; and what was the response.
§ Mrs. CurrieIn 1986 the Department received applications from the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation of the United Kingdom for the support of the following projects:
- i. Study of metabolic and immunological abnormalities in Reye's syndrome in the United Kingdom.
- ii. Neurological and psychological follow up study of children with Reye's syndrome.
Both were referred to the Medical Research Council, which receives grant in aid from the science vote of the Department of Education and Science.