Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mary Macleod and Anna Soubry

Tuesday 27th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

2. What steps the Government are taking to raise awareness of and help those who have brain tumours.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anna Soubry)]

Forgive me, Mr Speaker, but as you can hear—you may indeed be pleased to hear this—I am losing my voice. This is a serious matter, as you know, and I pay tribute to all the work you did on behalf of people suffering from brain cancer. The Government are proud to have been behind some important initiatives, such as promoting among general practitioners direct access to MRI scans. From January next year we are introducing a pilot scheme to alert people to the particular symptoms of common cancers, and we are confident that that will improve awareness about brain tumours.

[Mary Macleod]

I thank the Minister for her answer, but in the UK about 4,800 adults and 100 children lose their lives to brain tumours each year. Brain tumours kill more children than any other cancer, kill 65% more women than cervical cancer and kill more males under 40 than any other cancer, yet only 0.7% of Government funding goes to brain tumour cancer research. Will the Minister meet my constituent, Romi Patel, and others who have had brain tumours to discuss with them what more the Government can do to save lives?

[Anna Soubry]

The short answer is yes, I am more than happy to meet my hon. Friend’s constituent to discuss this matter. The figures she relies on for the amount of money going into brain tumour research are based on 2006 data, but the simple answer is that of course we can do far more. I pay tribute to the great advances made by a number of charities, including Headcase Cancer Trust, in my constituency, and others such as the Joseph Foote Trust. They are all raising considerable amounts of money specifically for research projects such as the one at Portsmouth university. I am more than happy to meet my hon. Friend’s constituent. This is an important topic on which we can do more.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mary Macleod and Anna Soubry

Tuesday 23rd October 2012 Commons Chamber

[Anna Soubry]

That was not my understanding of the former Secretary of State’s comments, but I can say that we are absolutely determined to ensure that fairness is achieved, and all the factors she mentions are important in ensuring that fairness.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

9. What steps the Government are taking to improve care for people with dementia.