John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the amounts of funding provided through the Health Research Board for research on brain tumour incidence, causes and treatment in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively; his plans for further investment into brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47246/12]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health he amounts of funding provided through the Health Research Board for research on cancer incidence, causes and treatment in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47247/12]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the amounts of funding provided through the All Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group for research on brain tumour incidence, causes and treatment in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively; his plans for further investment into brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47248/12]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the amounts of funding provided through the All Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group for research on cancer incidence, causes and treatment in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47249/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 976 to 979, inclusive, together.

Health research is funded from a number of Government Departments and agencies including the Department of Health. The Health Research Board (HRB) is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Health and is the lead agency in Ireland supporting and funding health research. It provides funding for and conducts research linked to national health priorities. The aim of this research is to improve people's health, build health research capacity and make a significant contribution to Ireland's knowledge economy. All research projects submitted to the HRB are subjected to a rigorous international peer review process.

Funding provided through the HRB for research on cancer incidence, causes and treatment and research on brain tumour incidence, causes and treatment for the years 2009 , 2010 and 2011 is set out in the table below (figures provided by the HRB). These figures include funding provided by the HRB to the All Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group (ICORG).

According to the HRB the level of research activity into the incidence, causes and treatment of brain tumours is very low in Ireland relative to other research areas and cancer types (e.g. breast cancer). The relatively small proportion of studies in brain cancer is a consequence of various factors, such as a small patient population, the number of available specialist clinicians who are active in clinical research, and a generally low number of experimental treatments coming through the pipeline for brain cancer both in a local and global context. The figures concerning research on brain tumours relates to those studies where the study is wholly or predominantly focusing on brain tumours. It is entirely possible that some of the projects highlighted in the broader ‘cancer’ category may involve, in some way, a portion of research activity that relates to brain tumours.

In May 2013, during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Ireland will co-host, with the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation), a conference on the future of brain research in Europe.