Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris welcomed Monday’s launch of Parliament’s Petitions Committee Report into funding for brain tumour research. The Petitions Committee held an inquiry into the lack of funding for research into brain tumours. The inquiry was launched after a petition calling for more research funding reached over 120,000 signatures.
As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours, Rebecca has long been campaigning for increased funding into research for brain tumours. Brain tumours kill more children and adults aged under 40 than any other cancer, yet only receive 1% of national spend on cancer research. Rebecca has been behind the campaign ever since she met Chris & Lisa Green from Canvey Island whose tragic story of their 11 year old son, Danny, dying from a brain tumour, moved her into tackling this injustice.
The Committee’s report concluded that there has been little improvement in the prognosis for brain tumour patients over the last 30 years. Adding that Brain tumour research has been seriously underfunded over decades, putting it far behind many other cancers in terms of the improvement in outcomes for patients. The report called on the Government to do more to tackle this disease.
Welcoming the report, Rebecca said:
“As a patron of The Danny Green Fund and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours I have long been campaigning to raise awareness about the devastating impact of brain tumours and the chronic lack of funding there is for research into the disease. It is incredible to think that brain tumours kill more children and young adults than any other form of cancer, yet so little is spent on research into the disease. This has been the case for decades and that cannot be allowed to continue!
I welcome the Committee’s report and wholeheartedly agree with their conclusions. I hope that the Government listens and takes the recommendations on board. I will certainly be doing all that I can to make sure that this issue remains on the Government’s agenda!”