Diane asks questions of Coalition ministers in her first Health Questions

02 Nov 2010

Diane took part in her first Health questions today as Shadow Minister for Public Health and asked Coalition ministers about the link between cancer survival outcomes and poverty:


Ms Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington) (Lab):
Does the Minister agree that cancer survival outcomes are very closely linked to poverty and inequality? Although I concede that inequality widened under the previous Government, how can the present Government hope to bear down on poverty and inequality in the context of an overall policy framework that envisages a steep rise in unemployment, with all the poor health outcomes associated with that, and a commitment to protecting health spending, which is unravelling by the day?

Paul Burstow: I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her question, and particularly her acknowledgement of the previous Government's failure to close the health inequality gap. The Office for Budget Responsibility identified that there will be growth in employment during the spending review period, and this Government are determined to make sure that we see that growth take place. When it comes to cancer survival, what we need to do most, and most importantly, is make sure that people are aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, because if they are, they present earlier, they get a diagnosis earlier and their survival chances are greatly improved.

See the full debate here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-11-02a.755.2&s=diane+abbott#g755.7



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