asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what research his Department is undertaking to ascertain the effects on the establishment of the reproductive cycle of female babies whose mothers have received Depo Provera, following post-partum rubella vaccination, during the nursing period.

The Medical Research Council supports research into the long-term and delayed effects of oral contracentives including progesterone. This research may yield information relevant to injectable contraceptives which contain progesterone, of which Depo Provera is the most widely used. The council, however, is not at present undertaking work specifically related to Depo Provera.