Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on fetal pain in the last three years.

The Department funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to improve the health and wealth of the nation. NIHR is a comprehensive health and social care research system which funds high quality early translational, clinical and applied research to improve health; trains and supports health researchers; provides world class research facilities; works with the life sciences industries and charities to benefit all; and involves patients and the public at every step. The Department has not commissioned research on foetal pain through the NIHR in the last three years.