Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that eye care research is a priority for life sciences research in the UK.

The Department funds research into eye care though the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Applications for funding are subject to peer review and judged in open competition with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR has recently announced awards of £20 million and £6.5 million over five years to support the NIHR Moorfield Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facilities respectively. These centres are dedicated to supporting eye care research funded by public funders, medical research charities and the life sciences industry.