HL Deb 13 December 2001 vol 629 c233WA
Baroness Blatch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many research projects into autism and related conditions they have commissioned or funded in the last five years. [HL1725]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The Medical Research Council (MRC), the main government agency that funds research into the causes of and treatments for disease, has funded 11 grants in the field of autism that have started in the last five years. In the same period the MRC has also funded 10 projects at the MRC Child Psychiatry Unit and 2 at the MRC Cognitive Development Unit. These units closed in July 2000 and September 1998 respectively but work following on from these units' programmes continues to be supported by some of the new grants mentioned above.

The Department of Health funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service. The department's NHS Research and Development programme funded a project on auditory integration training for autism: effects on harmful and stigmatising behaviours that finished in 1999. The department also provides NHS support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that take place in the NHS. There is a large volume of research on all aspects of autism. Details of projects can be found on the National Research Register (NRR) which is available on the Internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm. The NRR records show that there are currently 58 ongoing and 86 completed research projects on autism that started in the last five years.

The Department for Education and Skills has funded two projects in the last five years, one jointly with the Department of Health.

In March, the Department of Health commissioned the MRC to conduct a detailed review of the current state of knowledge about autism and to suggest possible areas for further research. The report, published today, provides a picture of what scientific research has revealed about the occurrence and causes of autism and other autism spectrum disorders, identifies gaps in knowledge and makes recommendations on future research strategy for the United Kingdom.

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