Wokingham’s Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, Clive Jones, has this week written to three government ministers to highlight issues on behalf of his constituents.
In a letter to the secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting, on behalf of a constituent, he asked the minister to address the issue of certain cancers being neglected by research funding.
He said that in 2024, half of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will die within three months of diagnosis, and 7 in 10 diagnosed with the disease will receive no treatment at all.
He said:“There hasn’t been a single treatment specifically designed for pancreatic cancer, with all existing treatments being copied from other cancer types, making them less effective.
“Without urgent action, 50,000 more people will die from pancreatic cancer in the UK over the course of the next parliament.”
“I ask you to address the issue of ensuring that all cancers are in receipt of research funding to ensure the best outcomes for patients, whilst also addressing the very important issue of bringing down hospital waiting lists and treatment times.”
He also wrote to the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Ed Milliband, seeking positive change on heat pumps.
He told the secretary that investing in heat pumps in order to cut carbon from our energy networks is a staunch belief of the Liberal Democrats, as is ending fuel poverty by 2025 through free retrofits for low-income homes, and a £6 billion a year investment on home insulation and zero-carbon heating.
He said: “These changes are especially important following the previous Conservative government’s disappointing decision to scrap the Green Homes Grant, which supported heat pump installation across the country.
“Retrofitting homes with heat pumps and insulation is vital in the fight to tackle the climate emergency, and is one of the easiest steps the country can take now to cut emissions which brings me to my reason for writing to you.
“There will need to be mass deployment of heat pumps and there needs to be greater intervention from the state to achieve this.
“I write to ask that the criteria for the heat pump grant be widened if the government is
serious about energy decarbonisation by 2030.”
He also wrote to the secretary of state for work and pensions, seeking justice for WASPI women.
The term ‘WASPI women’ refers to women born in the 1950s, who were affected by the change in the state pension age, and were not properly notified by the Conservative government of the changes.
Following a letter from a constituent, he wrote a letter to Liz Kendall, highlighting his belief that these women are due financial compensation for this.
He said: “These courageous women, who have tirelessly campaigned for justice after being left out of pocket, deserve our admiration for their persistence.
“I ask that you promptly set up a compensation scheme.
“It is now up to this Labour government to come forward with a plan to get these women the compensation they are owed.”
