The Ulster Cancer Foundation has been involved in raising funds for Cancer Research, patient care and prevention since it was first established in 1971 and although only a regional charity raising and spending its funds exclusively in Northern Ireland has contributed over £12 million to cancer control locally.

  It jointly funded the establishment of the Department of Oncology at Queen's University in 1974 and since then has paid for more than 300 research investigations in our two local Universities.

  However, in the past five years, our research funding policy has changed in that we have decided to concentrate our financial support in certain key areas rather than encourage open competition for project grants. Whilst the Foundation has provided valuable pump priming to a large number of cancer research investigations in the past, with the limited funding available to us, it was felt that with the establishment of the new UCF Chair in Oncology in 1996, we should give priority to ensuring that adequate funds were available for the development of the new Professors' Department whilst at the same time maintaining our important commitment to the University of Ulster's research programme.

  Currently the Foundation provides a five year programme grant to the Department of Oncology which includes funding for a research team in new UCF Laboratories in the Cancer Centre, Belfast City Hospital/QUB. The team includes the UCF Professor, a Senior Consultant Oncologist and a number of senior and junior scientific staff, post doctoral fellowships and Students.

  We also continue to fund senior scientific staff and research at the University of Ulster. Indeed the Foundation has played a key role in facilitating joint projects between the two local Universities.

  In addition, the Foundation helped establish the NI Cancer Registry having jointly funded key posts (including the medical Director) in collaboration with the Department of Health from 1994 to 1999.

  We believe that an excellent cancer research infrastructure now exists in Northern Ireland, and with the recent agreement with the US National Cancer Institute and the Republic of Ireland for tripartite co-operation in Cancer research and treatment, a unique opportunity exists to build a centre of excellence for the benefit of all cancer patients. However, this will only be achieved if the Government ensures that it makes available the necessary resources and matches the voluntary sector in its' commitment to develop a quality cancer service for all the people in Northern Ireland. Our views on this are set out in the document "Cancer Services—Invest Now" which is available to the Committee.

June 2000