House of Commons · Westminster Hall
08 January 2025 · 5 other contributors · 3,887 words
Opened by Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
Responding minister: Sir Stephen Timms
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Clive Jones raised concerns about children and young people with cancer in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
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.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 TimmsThe Minister for Social Security and Disability
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.