How much funding it has made available for research into skin cancer in each of the last five years.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Government has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and healthcare needs in Scotland. CSO does not ring fence funds for specific areas of research but supports projects of a sufficiently high standard initiated by the research community in Scotland. This role is well known and advertised throughout the healthcare and academic community.
CSO expenditure on skin cancer research in each of the last five years was as follows:
2004-05
| £64,157

2005-06
| £78,918

2006-07
| £81,783

2007-08
| £74,543

2008-09
| £36,205

In addition, during the last five years, £1 million per annum has been spent on the Scottish Cancer Trials Network and approximately £10 million per annum supporting the cost of cancer research carried out in the NHS. A further £485,000 per annum for three years was spent on the National Translational Cancer Research Network and subsequently £324,000 per annum on the experimental cancer medicine centres where funding has been matched by Cancer Research UK. Some of this expenditure will have benefited skin cancer research.
CSO would welcome further research proposals in this area which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.