Bernard Allen
Ceist:278 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has carried out a survey of expenditure on health research in Ireland; and the level of co-ordination between the different research bodies. [12347/00]
Written Answers. - Health Research.
The Health Research Board is the statutory body with responsibility for health research in Ireland. Its functions are to promote, assist, commission or conduct medical, health and health services research and such epidemiological research as may appropriately be carried out at national level, to assist and support other health agencies in promoting or conducting epidemiological research and to liaise and co-operate with other research bodies in Ireland or elsewhere in promoting, commissioning or conducting relevant research.
This Government has made a significant commitment to the Health Research Board and this is shown by the significant increase in funding since 1997. As part of my commitment to ensuring that the HRB is properly resourced I have provided additional funding of £2 million which will increase its allocation this year to £9.503 million. This is approximately 2.5 times the 1997 original budget of £3.835 million and demonstrates the importance this Government attaches to the role of health research in achieving health and social gain.
While there are no formal mechanisms for co-ordination in place the HRB liaises and co-oper ates with a number of bodies in areas of common interest. These links are determined by the nature of the research. In the area of data gathering and with regard to the national intellectual disability database for example, the HRB has formal links with the health boards. In areas of research funding it liaises with hospitals and health boards. It also has informal links with Enterprise Ireland to ensure there is no double funding of research projects.
The Health Research Board and the Higher Education Authority have jointly commissioned the consultancy group PREST to carry out a study of research infrastructure – equipment and facilities for science and technology in the Irish universities. A report on this study is expected to be completed in June 2000. The board is also represented on the implementation group established to advise the Government on the new strategic research foundation.
The board participates in a tripartite arrangement with Enterprise Ireland and the British Council to encourage collaboration on an east-west basis. In addition there are international research contracts in place between the HRB and the Wellcome Trust and the HRB and the United States National Institutes of Health. My Department is party to a memorandum of understanding between the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services and the US National Cancer Institute to promote an all island approach to cancer research.
The Deputy may be aware that there is already in existence a North-South co-operation project grants scheme aimed at promoting co-operation between researchers on both parts of the island. This year for the first time, the scheme is being co-funded by the Health Research Board and the Northern Ireland R&D Office. I have made an additional £500,000 available to the HRB for North-South research and when this is matched with funds from the Northern Ireland R&D Office a total of £1 million for North-South co-operation research will be available this year.
The Health Research Board has commissioned the CIRCA Group Europe to carry out a survey of expenditure on health research in Ireland and the final report is due later this month. Preliminary data suggests that the annual expenditure on health research in Ireland in 1998 was in the region of £20 million excluding that spent by the business sector.