§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much has been spent on(a) research, (b) treatment and (c) prevention of asthma since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [34591]
(2) how much has been spent on (a) research, (b) treatment and (c) prevention of lung diseases since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [34587]
§ Yvette CooperInformation on expenditure on lung diseases and asthma is not collected centrally. The British Thoracic Society estimated in November 2001, in a report entitled "The Burden of Lung Disease" that the total cost of respiratory disease to the national health service is around £2.5 billion.
The main Government agency for research into the cause and treatments of disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC spent a total of £12.2 million in 1999–2000 on research into asthma and respiratory disorders. The MRC additionally supports research on lung cancer that is not included in this figure.
The Department has spent an estimated £7.24 million on directly commissioned asthma research projects since 1997. The Department has also spent an estimated £3.45 million on directly commissioned research relating to lung disease since 1997. The forward commitment for ongoing projects is currently an estimated £1.41 million.
Smoking is one of the major causes of lung disease. In 1998 the Government published the first White Paper on Tobacco "Smoking Kills". To date it has invested around £130 million to implement the strategy set out in that document.