§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the rate of diagnosis of autism in children at the earliest possible age. [142848]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 18 December 2000]: The number of children identified as having autism is increasing. Although the full explanation for this is not clear, it is at least in part due to improvement in diagnosis by the clinical professions, including child mental health specialists and community paediatricians.
279WWe recognise the importance of health, social services and education agencies collaborating to facilitate early identification and effective intervention. For example, these agencies are working jointly to improve the provision of high quality care and treatment for children by building up locally-based child and adolescent mental health services. We have already invested £50 million of central funds towards these developments.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to help prevent childhood autistic spectrum disorders. [142844]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 18 December 2000]: Establishing the cause of autism will help in preventing, identifying and treating this distressing condition. The Medical Research Council (which is largely funded by Government) has recently invested £344,000 in one of the largest studies of the causes of autism ever attempted. The researchers will study whether autistic children have a history of other conditions or medical problems such as problems during birth and whether viral infections in the womb or soon after birth appear to play a role in producing autism. They will look at a representative sample of health records drawn from over 2 million people.
§ Ms PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about declaring 2002 autism awareness year; and if he will make a statement. [143592]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department has received only one representation on this subject. There is already an autism awareness week each year, which is now held in May.
§ Ms PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance to the Medical Research Council to include ethnic monitoring in its research into autism. [143591]
§ Mr. HuttonBoth the Department and the Medical Research Council (MRC) take ethnic minority issues very seriously. The MRC, which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry, is entirely independent in its day-to-day research funding decisions. These take account of both health needs and scientific vision and opportunity including advice from the Department on our priorities. However, the Department does not as a matter of course seek to influence the design of particular MRC-funded research projects. As part of its strategy for research into inequalities in health, the MRC encourages all applicants to consider the feasibility of collecting information on ethnic origin, socio-economic status, gender, etc. in exploring the factors influencing health.