The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee

The Department of Health (DH) seeks to improve the health and well being of the population through improving standards of public health and driving forward change in the National Health Service and social care.

The Secretary of State is supported in Ministerial responsibilities by four Ministers of State and one Parliamentary Under Secretary of State. The Minister of State for Quality has responsibility for R&D while the Minister of State for Public Health deals with the Health Protection Agency (HPA), Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The Ministers are supported by Heads of Profession which includes the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). The CSO is responsible for building the capacity of Healthcare Science as well as to raise the profile and recognition of Science professionals across the DH.

Science is important to a range of areas within the DH's policy remit, health/care, society, food and drink, science, technology and innovation, law and order and justice and information access.

The DH Policy Research Programme funds approximately 300 policy related research projects at any one time. Currently, these provide evidence to inform policy on:

• Health Protection including antimicrobial resistance, healthcare acquired infections, CJD, CBRN, infectious diseases.
• Health Promotion including obesity, nutrition, tobacco, sexual health, drugs, alcohol, foetal alcohol syndrome, teenage pregnancy.
• Health Inequalities.
• Specific disease areas such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
• Screening policy such as for cancer and hepatitis C.
• Child and maternal health

Major strategic research developments in seven key DH priority areas: cancer, mental health, coronary heart disease (CHD), ageing and older people, public health, genetics and diabetes

The Director of Research and Development at the Department of Health is responsible for the NHS R&D Programme.

The strategy for NHS R&D has been developed to:

• Support the Government's ambitions to improve the nation's health and increase the nation's wealth as set out in the ten-year Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014;
• Place people at the centre of a research system that focuses on quality, transparency and value for money;
• Respond to changes in society and the environment;
• Respond to the challenges in the current system for applied health research.

The DoH is the largest single funder of health related research in the public sector. The funding councils, research councils, research charities and industry also play significant roles.

Contact Details

Website:	www.dh.gov.uk
Address:	Chief Scientific Officer, Department of Health, Room 685D, Skipton House, 80 London Road, London SE1 6LH.
Telephone:	020 7972 5353
Email:	dhmail@dh.gsi.gov.uk