§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to Cancer Research UK in 2003–04; and for which projects. [133916]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Department has provided £2.6 million to Cancer Research UK to fund their `Death Repackaged' campaign. This awareness raising campaign was launched in September 2003, to highlight the dangers of terms 'light' and 'mild' on cigarette packs.
The Department does not allocate funds directly to charities for research. We spent an estimated £83.8 million on cancer research in 2000–01. Over 75 per cent. of this expenditure is devolved to the national health service, largely to meet the additional patient care costs associated with research. These costs cover items such as extra scans for diagnosis or monitoring of treatment, extra blood tests, extra in-patient days and extra nursing attention. This support allows work funded by the research councils and charities, including Cancer Research UK, to be conducted within the NHS.