§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money is being allocated per annum to research into human health aspects of BSE. [157965]
§ Yvette CooperKey areas for the health related Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) research programme are epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics, the investigation of different strains of TSEs, potential risks from blood and blood products and the decontamination of surgical instruments. Our total funding on TSE research for 2000–01 was in excess of £30 million, of which £4.0 million was for the Department's projects. For 2001–02, £5.3 million has been allocated for the Department's funded research.
The research strategy is kept under review and is updated and amended in the light of emerging scientific findings. A detailed list of Government-funded projects into TSEs is available on the Medical Research Council website at http://www.mrc.ac.uk/tse—tb2c.htm.