Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to promote research and development in medical nutrition.

The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds research across a broad spectrum of areas related to nutrition to inform Government policy and clinical knowledge with a view to improving patient care and helping people stay well for longer.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including medical nutrition. These 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. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.