§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current level of public funding into research for Crohn's disease; if he will increase this figure over the planning period; and if he will make it his policy to amend the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 to allow Crohn's sufferers to make claims for compensation. [3065]
§ Mr. HoramThe main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. The council is an independent body, deciding what research to support on its own expert judgment. Although it supports a significant portfolio of research related to intestinal diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases, it does not currently fund any research specifically on Crohn's disease.
Responsibility for the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.