To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will initiate hospital trials on the use of dichloroacetate to destroy onc cells in cancer patients. (137453)

No. The Department funds national health service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The institute’s research programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS. Details, including the scope of the programmes and the arrangements for making applications for support from them, are available on the NIHR website at www.nihr.ac.uk. Funding awards are in all cases made after open, competitive, peer review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the efficacy of dichloroacetate in destroying cancer cells; and if she will make a statement. (137454)

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright) on 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 324W.