§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies his Department has(a) carried out and (b) commissioned on the effects of pollution on health since January 1998; which of these have been published to date; and when he expects the remainder to be published. [82679]
§ Ms JowellThe Department has carried out and commissioned a number of studies on the health effects of pollution since January 1998, some through the Medical Research Council and others jointly with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Copies of the details of these studies have been placed in the Library. It is not the Department's policy to publish the findings separately, though researchers are encouraged to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and in the scientific press on completion of the studies. The vast majority are disseminated in this way.
The Department together with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has co-funded an indoor air pollution research programme as well as research into the non-auditory health effects of noise and the health effects of chemicals in the environment. Together with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Health and Safety Executive, the Scottish Office, the Welsh Office and the Department of Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland, the Department has agreed to contribute towards a contract with the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine to form the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU). SAHSU has carried out research on the effects of air pollution on health since January 1998.
The Department also manages the National Health Service research and development levy which is used to support research and development of relevance to the National Health Service in hospitals, general practice and other health care settings, and to fund the NHS research and development programme. In addition, the Medical Research Council—which receives most of its income via grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry—funds medical research as part of the Government's funding of the science and engineering base.
In addition to those projects lists, the Department expects to issue a major call for proposals on the effects of air pollution on health over the summer.