HL Deb 07 July 2004 vol 663 cc94-5WA
Lord Henley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What research they have commissioned into the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in England. [HL3561]

Lord Warner:

The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. The Department of Health contributes to the strategies and priorities of the MRC by meeting the National Health Service costs of the MRC's research (and of research funded by charities). The department also directly funds research to support policy development in health and social care, and to support effective practice in the NHS.

The MRC has recently funded a study on the molecular pathogenesis of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and its relationship to human papillomavirus infection.

Over 75 per cent of the department's total expenditure on health research, including on cancer, is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including some concerned with squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research