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Children and Young People with Cancer
08 January 2025
Lead MP
Clive Jones
Wokingham
LD
Responding Minister
Sir Stephen Timms
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Word Count: 3887
Other Contributors: 5
At a Glance
Clive Jones raised concerns about children and young people with cancer in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The hon. Member requests the government to reconsider the three-month qualifying period for disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA), arguing that it is cruel and inappropriate in the case of children and young people with cancer.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Cancer causes significant emotional, physical and mental pain for young patients. The costs of having cancer are substantial for children, young people and their families, including travel, food, energy, and other additional monthly expenses amounting to £700 on average per patient and family from day one.
Bobby Dean
LD
Carshalton and Wallington
Stresses the importance of providing comfort areas and play spaces for children undergoing cancer treatment, advocating for reducing bureaucratic hurdles to ensure a manageable experience during such difficult times.
Chris Bloore
Lab
Redditch
Families covered by the current scheme are only able to recover costs for 12%, leading to missed appointments and delayed treatment. This is costly for both families and the NHS, as delaying or missing treatments increases expenses.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
The hon. Member highlights that 71% of families impacted by cancer are struggling to meet travel costs, with one in ten missing appointments due to financial issues. He supports the need for government intervention to ensure finance for young people's medical travel.
Lisa Smart
LD
Hazel Grove
Emphasises the importance of ensuring education provision for children with a cancer diagnosis within 28 days to maintain normalcy. This helps cope with treatment and reduces long-term educational costs.
Sorcha Eastwood
Alliance
Lagan Valley
The hon. Member shares her personal story and emphasizes that charities often step in where the state falls short, providing essential support for families dealing with cancer. She agrees that government needs to do more to alleviate financial burdens.
Government Response
Sir Stephen Timms
The Minister for Social Security and Disability
Government Response
The Minister acknowledges the debate's focus on disability living allowance and personal independence payment support for children and young people with cancer. He notes that these benefits contribute to extra costs but do not cover all expenses, providing an average award of around £155 per week for about 3,000 children under 16 and 2,000 between 16 and 24. While he cannot announce a significant change to the qualifying period currently, he indicates that these matters will be kept under review.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.