§ Mr. Fabian HamiltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific support his Department is able to give to the sufferers of colitis and Crohn's disease. [63661]
§ Mr. HuttonPeople with colitis and Crohn's disease can receive a full range of treatment from the National Health Service. Support and information is also provided by the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease, a registered charity to which the Department currently gives funding under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
561WThe Department's policy research programme and the central NHS research and development programmes are not currently supporting any research into colitis and Crohn's disease, because of competing priorities. However, the Medical Research Council, the main agency through which the Government supports biomedical and clinical research, supports a significant portfolio of research related to intestinal diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases. The Council is currently funding three strategic project grants in this area, with a total cost of £186,000 in 1997–98.