To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research on (a) the causes of and (b) treatments for atrial septal defect.

The Government, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is committed to funding high quality, timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public, and which makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective, and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including people with conditions related to congenital heart disease.

The Department is proud to invest £1.5 billion per year on health research through the NIHR. Over the past five financial years, from 2019/20 to 2023/24, the NIHR has invested an estimated £1.8 million on congenital heart disease, including atrial septal defect, via its research programmes. Recent examples of congenital heart disease projects funded in this way include a three-year study to assess how the use of artificial intelligence technology can detect heart conditions in babies before birth, and a five-year study to improve how the quality of congenital heart services is measured and reported in England, with further information on both studies available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR301448

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/PR-R20-0318-23001

The Department, via NIHR, also funds infrastructure that provides clinical expertise, specialist facilities, the workforce, and support services to support research across a range of clinical areas, including congenital heart disease. The NIHR welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including congenital heart disease.