§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to act on the recommendations of the 1986 Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development report on medical equipment.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government's response to the report, summarising action then being taken or planned on the report's recommendations, was published in February 1987. A wide programme of improvements has been implemented and further developments in the fields of research, evaluation and equipment management are being vigorously pursued. Inter alia the research and development coordinating committee of the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Medical Research Council and the Science and Engineering Council, which meets quarterly, has made considerable progress in identifying and eliminating gaps and overlaps in the research and development medical equipment field to ensure that available resources are used as effectively as possible.