Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the successful mesothelioma research grant applications made to either the National Institute for Health Research or the Medical Research Council between financial years 2010–11 and 2013–14 have been funded by the £3 million contribution received in 2010 from the insurance industry towards mesothelioma research.

Successful mesothelioma research grant applications submitted to the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council have been supported by these organisations’ own funding. Two of the three Medical Research Council fellowships were co-funded with the British Lung Foundation and Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Fund which together provided £150k of the total £483k awarded to these fellowships. Both awards were made following the £3m fund from the insurance industry was established and donated to the British Lung Foundation for mesothelioma research. However we do not have information on how the British Lung Foundation attributed the £3m so cannot say whether any of this money was used to support the British Lung Foundation contribution to these fellowships.