§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into psycho-surgery in the last five years. [67610]
§ Jacqui SmithThe main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is funded via the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC has not supported any research in this area in the last five years. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
The Department directly funds research into policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care, and provides national health service support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities in the NHS. The Department has not supported any work in this area in the last five years.
Management of much of the research supported by NHS research and development funding is devolved and expenditure at project level is not held centrally by the Department. Details of research projects funded by, or of interest to, the national health service are available on the National Research Register at www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm