Business of the House

Luciana Berger Excerpts

Thursday 19th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Sir George Young]

The Macular Disease Society is based in my constituency in Andover, and I have very close links with it. The short answer to my hon. Friend’s question is that the manufacturer of Avastin, Roche, has not applied to the relevant authority for a licence to treat wet AMD with this particular product. It is up to it to make the application. In the meantime, a licence has been granted to Lucentis, which is slightly more expensive, but I hope as effective.

[Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op)]

On 1 March the Commons spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice), stood at the Dispatch Box and pledged that the Government would bring forward proposals to tackle dangerous dogs and their owners before the Easter recess, yet still none has been published. It is nearly two years since the consultation on changing the law on dangerous dogs closed but, despite numerous promises from Ministers, still nothing has been done. On behalf of my constituents Angela McGlynn and John Massey, who tragically lost their four-year-old son, John-Paul Massey, and have been campaigning on the issue so that no other families have to go through what they are going through, I ask the Leader of the House please to inform us when we should expect a statement from DEFRA.

[Sir George Young]

The spokesman the hon. Lady refers to is my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I will try to find out from the Department when we plan to publish our conclusions. It is important that we get it right. She might remember that in the 1990s the House legislated in haste on dangerous dogs and got it wrong. We are anxious not to make the same mistake again.