To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce the gap between the funding required for the research and development of the new tuberculosis vaccine and the funding available to it. (152396)

I have been asked to reply.

Research on new TB vaccines is being undertaken in a number of countries by a range of different research groups. In the UK, the Medical Research Council (MRC) spend on TB vaccines in 2005-06 was £1.9 million (four projects). It also provided funding of £0.4 million for four underpinning projects.