§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research and at what cost is currently being undertaken into sickle cell anaemia; and if he will indicate the total cost of this.
Mr. JacksonThe Medical Research Council is the main Government agency for the direct support of biomedical research. In the financial year 1986–87 the council spent £341,000 on projects concentrating directly on sickle cell anaemia and a further £702,000 on projects which may have some relevance to this disease. The council is always willing to consider soundly-based scientific proposals in competition with other applications.
Research into sickle cell anaemia is also carried out in universities and medical schools using funds for teaching and research allocated on advice from the University Grants Committee. In addition, the medical charities may be funding relevant research. The Government are not in a position to influence directly the scale and nature of these research activities.