CANCER AND DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION

Early day motion 625, tabled 1 February 2005 by Roger Berry (Labour). Signed by 87 members.

That this House welcomes the Disability Discrimination Bill and the extension of the definition of disability to include people with HIV, multiple sclerosis and cancer from the point of diagnosis; supports the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Committee on the draft Disability Discrimination Bill that no one with any kind of cancer should be excluded from the protection of the Bill; notes that like HIV and MS, the stigma and ignorance of cancer is the root cause of discrimination, not the type of cancer or how substantial the treatment; further notes that people with a cancer diagnosis need to know the law is on their side; and urges the Government to listen to Macmillan Cancer Relief, the Disability Rights Commission and the Disability Charities Consortium and not to include a power in the Bill effectively to exclude people with certain kinds of cancers from protection against unjustified discrimination.

Signatures by party: Labour 51, Liberal Democrat 19, Labour/Co-operative 7, Conservative 3, UUP 3, DUP 2, Plaid Cymru 2.