Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission research to establish the (1) dependency, and (2) withdrawal, risks associated with extended prescribed use of mid to high potency topical steroids, following the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency report Topical steroid withdrawal reactions: a review of the evidence, published on 15 September.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The usual practice of NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics. Research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including the risks associated with the use of high potency topical steroids. 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.