asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps are being taken to assess the numbers of hyperactive children in the United Kingdom; what research is currently taking place into the causes of hyperactivity in children; what further research work is planned; what resources his Department is allocating in the current financial year to research into the causes and possible remedies of hyperactivity in children and how must he intends to allocate for 1980–81.

Any attempt to estimate the number of hyperactive children in the United Kingdom would be hampered by the absence of a commonly accepted definition of "hyperactivity". The prevalence of the "hyperactive syndrome" among 10 and 11-year-olds has been estimated at about one in a thousand. If this rate of prevalence applied to all children under the age of 16 the number suffering from the syndrome would be in the region of 11,000. One in a thousand is a much lower rate of prevalence than has been found in the United States, and I am seeking to encourage research into the reasons for the difference.The Department is not currently supporting any research studies into the causes of hyperactivity in children but, in response to an approach from the Institute of Psychiatry, has indicated that it would be willing to consider a proposal for a service evaluation study. I understand that the Medical Research Council