Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) (Con): I congratulate my friend and colleague the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) on introducing the Bill and I am sad that the time for examining it is so limited. I am not sure whether the Government were concerned about the previous measure, which they seemed to want to continue to discuss for no reason, or whether they are worried about the Bill that we are considering. Perhaps the Under-Secretary will tell us and the country—and those who are desperate for umbilical cord and stem cell treatment—why the Government do not appear to want the Bill to make progress.
We have already heard that we are the leading country in stem cell research, with world-class experts in the field, yet as we have also heard, other countries are leading the way in the collection of cord stem cells and cord blood.
As this country becomes more ethnically diverse, it is important that we as a country, as politicians and as clinicians, try everything possible to ensure that those who need treatment but who are barred from receiving it simply because their ethnic background means that it is difficult to find a match or because they are of mixed race, get the treatment that they deserve. We hear all the time—indeed, we have heard again today—that many
people who need bone marrow transplants, particularly those from the smaller ethnic groups or those of mixed race, face problems finding a match. That is a difficultly in my constituency, where there are fairly large Kashmiri and Bengali communities, simply because we do not have the opportunity to get matches in this country. A national cord stem cell programme would help enormously with that.
The House has shown its will. Early-day motion 969, on the Anthony Nolan Trust and the national cord blood programme, has cross-party support and has attracted 133 signatories. Hon. Members should remember that Government Members on the payroll vote are not allowed to sign early-day motions, which shows how huge the number of hon. Members who have shown their will for the Bill to go forward is. It is a crying shame that it appears that the Bill will not be given the time that it requires.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate on his perseverance and his personal knowledge of the issue. It is also a shame that the Government have not taken the opportunity to address the matter in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which is currently going through the House, as they could have done, not with an ongoing review—there are so many reviews taking place all the time—but by saying in the Bill that we need to take cord blood research forward.
As you can imagine, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I could speak for some time but I am desperate, as I am sure the House is, to hear from the Minister why, it appears, the Government do not support the Bill.
2.17 pm
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AND LATER IN THE SAME DEBATE
Mike Penning: The Minister rightly mentioned the problems relating to ethnic minorities, but this is much more of a problem for people of mixed race. That area is smaller and much more crucial.
Ann Keen: The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. The Department of Health’s umbilical cord review is due to report in the late autumn, towards the end of the year. The consultants carrying out this extensive review are due to produce their report soon, as I have said. The work is important because it also includes comparisons with current practice in other interest countries, namely, Canada, China, France, Japan and the United States of America. Interest in the review has far exceeded expectations, and it—along with the accompanying debate and the very well-received expert workshop that took place at the end of May—has provided the Department with a far more detailed picture of the situation, nationally and internationally.
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