§ Lord Erroll of Haleasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to promote research into the causes of macular degeneration of the human eye, and to find possible cures.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)The main agency through which the Government supports medical research in this country is the Medical Research Council (MRC). Its grant-in-aid for this financial year will total £201.9 million. It is, however, an independent body and it is right that it should normally decide its research priorities on its own expert judgment. I understand that it is currently supporting work on macular degeneration at the Institute of Ophthalmology in London. It is always willing to consider funding for soundly-based research proposals in competition with other applications.