§ Baroness Youngasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action has been taken to appoint a Chief of Research and Development to the Department of Health including the NHS Management Executive, as proposed in Priorities in Medical Research, the government response to the third report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology.
§ Baroness HooperThe title of the post was changed to Director of Research and Development following the debate in this House and in recognition of the postholder's full membership of the NHS Management Executive as a director. I am delighted to report that Professor Michael Peckham, since 1986 director of the British Postgraduate Medical Federation, has been appointed to the post and will take up his duties fulltime on 1 January 1991.
Following a period of research in Paris, Professor Peckham has held senior posts in the field of clinical oncology and cancer research and served as civilian consultant to the Royal Navy. He has an international reputation in the field of cancer research and is president of the Federation of European Cancer Societies. Health Ministers welcome his appointment and look to him to provide the leadership which will harness research to improve the NHS.