During a debate in Parliament on Monday on the issue of brain tumours, Simon Hoare, Member of Parliament for North Dorset, called for the Government to do more about screening and ensure ‘improved education and knowledge’ around the issue. Speaking in Westminster Hall, Mr Hoare claimed that ‘there is an unjustifiable disparity in attention and funds, which are not being provided for research into this type of cancer, whereas others attract it’.
The Westminster Hall debate was well attended by MPs, speaking fervently on behalf of constituents. One such constituent of Mr Hoare’s and campaigner for the brain tumour charity HeadSmart, Mrs Sacha Langton-Gilks, tragically lost her 16 year old son to a brain tumour in 2012 after a five year battle. Mr Hoare commended the work of HeadSmart, but added that he ‘cannot understand the Department’s reticence to have HeadSmart’s booklet inserted into the little red health book of every child’ to help and encourage understanding of the subject, further commenting that it is ‘unjustifiable that a child in the UK with a brain tumour takes on average three times longer to be diagnosed than somebody in the United States of America and even somebody in Poland’.
Minister for Health, George Freeman MP, responded positively to calls from Parliamentary colleagues and campaigners, announcing that ‘the Government accept that we need to do more in this space, committing to a number of specific actions that reflect the concerns that have been raised’.
Commenting, Simon Hoare MP said: ‘This is excellent news and I welcome the Government’s commitment to do more. The Government is investing £1.7 billion a year into health research and I am hopeful that progress can be made on this key issue.’
To watch this clip and view the whole debate, please follow the link below:
http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/3211c3a4-ea0c-425e-8277-43c7a512f5…
