CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Early day motion 500, tabled 29 March 1999 by Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 96 members.

That this House recognises that cystic fibrosis is the United Kingdom's most common life-threatening inherited disease, currently affecting 7,000 babies, children and adults; applauds the Cystic Fibrosis Trust which since 1964 has provided direct financial, practical and emotional support to cystic fibrosis sufferers and their families, funded medical research aimed at treating and curing the disease and supported the care of cystic fibrosis patients in the NHS; calls on the Government to ensure equity of access to NHS services, such as specialist cystic fibrosis centres and state of the art drugs and ultimately to provide a national service framework for cystic fibrosis treatment; believes that the benefits of early diagnosis derived from neo-natal screening should be extended across the country; urges that any reform of the benefit system should recognise that the availability for work of people with cystic fibrosis is contingent on both short and long term variation in their day to day health; notes that exemption from NHS prescription charges would ease the burden on the estimated 1,000 people with cystic fibrosis on whom charges are levied; and calls on the Government to reconsider its decision not to extend the list of exempt conditions to include cystic fibrosis.

Signatures by party: Labour 62, Liberal Democrat 19, Conservative 5, Labour/Co-operative 4, Plaid Cymru 2, UUP 2, Independent 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.