§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the linkage between increased absolute and relative ill health and (i) social and (ii) economic classification. [28827]
§ Ms JowellWe have commissioned Sir Donald Acheson to carry out an Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health, which, as part of its work, is reviewing the link between inequalities in health and social and economic status. The White Paper which will follow theOur Healthier Nation Green Paper will set out the Government's approach to research on public health and inequalities in health. On 6 May I announced that the Department had commissioned eight research projects at a cost of £1.7 million to examine practical means of addressing health inequalities.