HC Deb 21 May 1998 vol 312 cc503-5W
Helen Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce greater accountability into the distribution of NHS research and development funds; and if he will make a statement. [43012]

Ms Jowell

The new system for allocating National Health Service research and development (R&D) funds has introduced greater accountability. R&D support funding for NHS providers is now distributed through a competitive process with bids assessed against published criteria, and successful providers obliged to account regularly to the NHS Executive for the use of these funds. The NHS Executive has in place, and will continue to develop, mechanisms for identifying and prioritising R&D activity which is best funded directly by the Executive itself. The new system will be the subject of evaluation. The Department's Director of Research and Development plans to publish an annual report on Department of Health and NHS R&D later in the year.

Helen Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, for each NHS region, the proportion of NHS research and development funding spent on primary care research for each of the past five years. [43009]

Ms Jowell

The research and development (R&D) support funding allocated to primary care led providers in each National Health Service region during 1998–99 is set out in the table. This is the first year under the new R&D funding system that allocations have been made directly to primary care practices. In addition to research carried out by primary care providers, other providers within each NHS region spend some of their R&D support funding on primary care research, and the Department and NHS Executive also centrally commission primary care research projects for the benefit of the NHS as a whole. The total such R&D spending was estimated for 1996–97 at £31 million. Information on the total R&D spend on primary care by NHS region is not currently available.

NHS region 1998–99 primary care led allocations (£) 1998–99 total allocation of R&D support funding (£) Percentage of total allocation that is primary care led
Anglia and Oxford 161,229 18,287,835 0.9
North Thames 848,194 196,391,466 0.4
Northern and Yorkshire 68,584 15,984,781 0.4
South Thames 372,410 50,910,686 0.7
South and West 471,279 15,599,377 3.0
Trent 110,456 20,500,326 0.5
West Midlands 270,149 9,637,214 2.8
North West 0 20,384,272 0.0
Total 2,302,301 349,370,957 0.7

Helen Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that more research and development funding is spent on primary care research; and if he will make a statement. [43010]

Ms Jowell

We gave a commitment in November 1997 to increase spending on primary care research and development (R&D) to around £50 million within five years, and the recommendations of the National Working Group Report on R&D in Primary Care, published at that time, are now being implemented. A Regional Director of Research and Development within the National Health Service Executive has been identified to lead the development of primary care research in the NHS. Primary care practices now have access to R&D funding on the same basis as NHS trusts. Primary care practices and other providers are being actively encouraged to bid for funding for primary care research, and the NHS Executive is promoting primary care research and developing capacity through new research programmes, the establishment of new national training awards, and through nationally commissioned research programmes.