Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of committing additional funds to optometry research in the 2018-19 financial year.

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including optometry research; it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Information on individual projects funded by the NIHR can be found at:

https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/