Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2019 to Question 212303 on Air Pollution: Research, what proportion of the £1billion will be allocated to research into the health effects of ultrafine particles from incinerators.

The Department is investing over £1 billion a year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence a proportion of its budget for research into particular topics or conditions. The NIHR will consider funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the effect of ultrafine particles. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.