LAUNCH OF NATIONAL BOWEL CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME (No. 2)

Early day motion 1928, tabled 28 March 2006 by Steve Webb (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 69 members.

That this House notes that bowel cancer kills 16,000 people a year and is the second biggest cause of cancer death in the UK; observes that early screening reduces mortaility rates by about 15 per cent.; welcomes the Government's commitment to introduce a National Bowel Cancer Screening Programmme in April 2006, which will be the first NHS cancer screening programme in England for men as well as women; but is alarmed that no funding has yet been allocated despite the fact that it will then take another six months for services to be commissioned; notes the recent British Medical Journal editorial which stated that the NHS financial crisis is clearly the cause of the delay; and calls on the Government to ensure that the planned screening programme is begun without further delay and that the necessary funds are released as a matter of urgency.

Signatures by party: Labour 38, Liberal Democrat 17, Conservative 7, DUP 5, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2.