Former Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael has pressed David Cameron to increase the government funding allocated to brain tumour research.
The Northern Isles MP raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons yesterday, ahead of a debate on the topic at Westminster on Monday.
He told the Tory leader that research receives just over 1% of the national spend on cancer research – despite brain tumours being the biggest cancer killer of children and people under 40.
The Liberal Democrat asked: “Will you have a word with the health secretary so that the minister answering the debate might be able to bring with him or her some long overdue good news of change in this area?”
Mr Cameron said he would make sure the minister could give a “very full reply”.
He added: “We invest something like £1.7billion a year in health research, but there is always this question when it comes to cancer.
“The spending has gone up by a third over the last parliament to nearly £135million, but there is always the question about whether that is fairly distributed between all the different types of cancer.”
While responsibility for health lies with Holyrood, medical research remains a reserved matter.
Afterwards, Mr Carmichael described the amount currently committed to brain tumour research as “pitifully low”, adding: “There is no community in this country that has not been affected in some way by brain tumours.
“Less than 20% of those diagnosed with brain tumours survive for five years and seemingly healthy young adults and children are disproportionately affected.
“All they want is future funding to be fair, and I hope the Government will finally deliver on this.”
Last month, the Commons petitions committee released a report that concluded brain tumour research is “inadequate” and “not given sufficient priority”.
Among those who shared their stories with the inquiry were Caroline Critchlow, from Orkney, and Carolyn Toshney, from Aberdeen.
Both have husbands living with brain tumours and are raising money for Friends of the Neuro Ward at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which Ms Critchlow founded.
She will attend Monday’s three-hour debate, which is being held after a petition gathered more than 120,000 signatures on the Westminster Parliament’s website.
It was started by Maria Lester, whose brother Stephen was diagnosed with a brain tumour at just 19 and died aged 26.
