Business of the House

Madeleine Moon Excerpts

Thursday 10th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Gentleman raises a concerning issue. I encourage him to write to Ministers to get a proper answer.

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

Some 50% of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s will go on to suffer from depression, anxiety and hallucinations. Yesterday, the all-party group on Parkinson’s, which I chair along with Baroness Gale, and Parkinson’s UK published a report, “Mental health matters too”. One fifth of people with Parkinson’s will not gain access to mental health services. Can we have a statement from the Government on how they intend to ensure that people with Parkinson’s have an equal right to mental health support?

[Andrea Leadsom]

The hon. Lady raises an incredibly important point. There is an increasing awareness that many long-term conditions have mental health problems associated with them. The Government are committed to achieving greater parity of esteem between physical and mental health and are putting significant new funding into expanding mental health services. I encourage her to seek a further debate so that she can raise this particular issue directly with Ministers.