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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Jun 2001

Vol. 539 No. 2

Written Answers. - Cancer Research.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

116 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on a recent statement made in a publication (details supplied) on 6 June 2001, that Ireland could miss out on significant European funding for cancer research because we lack the infrastructure necessary to compete for it. [19130/01]

The national cancer strategy recognises that the lack of personnel and organisational factors has meant that participation in clinical research and entry to clinical trials has been limited. The strategy referred to the importance of clinical research to the steady advance in the understanding and treatment of cancer. It pointed out that there is evidence that patients treated in the clinical trial setting have a better outcome overall. It identified that organisational factors and a shortage of personnel has meant that participation in clinical trials had been limited. It suggested that these deficiencies be resolved in the context of the reorganisation of the cancer services proposed in the strategy. It also suggested that there was a clear case for establishing a more formal and co-ordinated approach to clinical research, including clinical trials.

The co-development of cancer research has been inserted into the Good Friday Agreement. The Memorandum of Understanding on Cancer Research, signed by the British, Irish and US Governments in October 1999, is providing a means to promote an all-island approach to research.

Recognising the importance of clinical trials towards improving patient care and the opportunities provided under the memorandum of understanding, the Health Research Board and the Research and Development Office in Northern Ireland proposed to the Cancer Consortium in October 2000 that investment be made to build capacity to participate in clinical trials in hospitals treating cancer patients on this island. An important outcome of this investment will be to enable hospitals in the North and South to participate more in the conduct of clinical trials.
In 2001 my Department made funding available to the Health Research Board to enable it to hold a competitive call for proposals from hospitals in Ireland to develop their capacity to engage in cancer clinical trials with a view to participation in all-island clinical trials. The purpose of the call for proposals is to build and enhance the capacity of hospitals with significant cancer services to conduct high quality clinical trials of cancer therapies with a view to participation through a reconstituted Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group, ICORG, in all-island clinical trials. Each award of funding under this call will provide a maximum of £400,000 in revenue costs and £100,000 in capital costs. The HRB intends to hold a second call for applications next year.
Research funding will contribute to a build up of infrastructure and resources to enable further funding to be obtained. The funding from the Programme of Investment in Third Level Institutes, PRTLI, disbursed by the Higher Education Authority will also enhance the research infrastructure. A sum of £162.277 million was allocated in cycle 1 of the programme, much of which will be of benefit to the health system. In particular, the £15.406 million given to the National University of Ireland, Galway to support the establishment of a Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science. The centre will combine the expertise of engineers, medical graduates and scientists to research aspects of major human illness such as cancer, heart disease, bone disease, kidney disease and strokes.
The HRB awarded £2.782 million for research equipment in 2000. This equipment is used for a wide variety of health research, including research into cancer. In addition, all the HRB's general research schemes provide revenue funding for cancer related research.
In addition, the new health research strategy, recently approved by Government for publication, contains specific proposals for the development of clinical research centres which would address infrastructural requirements for cancer and other areas. The resources necessary for this strategy will be the subject of discussion between my Department and the Department of Finance in the current Estimates process.
EU funding is usually supplementary to funding from national sources. Irish researchers have shown commendable skill in accessing EU funding for research. It is important that they continue to participate in EU funded research programmes even when funding available at national level increases significantly.
Involvement in EU funded projects has wider benefits in terms of co-operation with colleagues in other European countries, the development of training opportunities for young researchers and access to research facilities in other member states. This itself builds up the infrastructure required to gain further research funding.
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