Vol. 703 Tuesday No. 131 22 July 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Leave of Absence: The Lord Speaker Questions Health: Dementia Russia: Human Rights Nuclear Weapons Iran: People’s Mujaheddin Organisation Pensions Bill Order of Consideration Motion Crossrail Bill Third Reading Freedom of Information (Parliament and National Assembly for Wales) Order 2008 Approved Secure Training Centres: Use of Restraint (JCHR Report) Motion to Take Note Iraq Statement Royal Assent Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page SATS Testing: for government Statement see Official Report, Commons, 22/7/08 £3·50 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. The bound volumes also will be sent to those Peers who similarly notify their wish to receive them. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. 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House of Lords In the next years, we are attempting to use the model of the way that cancer research was built so successfully Tuesday, 22 July 2008. in the UK. That means investing in relevant research networks and centres but, as the noble Baroness will The House met at eleven o’clock: the LORD be only too well aware, it is extremely important that SPEAKER on the Woolsack. only science that achieves the highest quality assessment should receive funding. Prayers—Read by the Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. Lord Walton of Detchant: My Lords, does the noble Baroness accept that research into Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia has made remarkable Leave of Absence: The Lord Speaker progress in the past two years? A number of drugs have been introduced that are simply symptomatic The Lord Speaker (Baroness Hayman): My Lords, treatments, such as Donepezil, but work that is now this year, YomKippur, the Day of Atonement, falls on being done in many centres, not least on the superb a sitting day, Thursday 9 October. Accordingly, I seek new campus for ageing and health on the Newcastle leave of absence from your Lordships’ House on that day. General Hospital site where major research is being undertaken, shows great promise of developing drugs that strike at the cause of the disease. Does not this Health: Dementia development justify significantly greater investment in this important field? 11.07 am Baroness Thornton: My Lords, the noble Lord is Baroness Perry of Southwark: My Lords, I beg leave absolutely correct. Part of the Government’s drive to to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order ensure that NICE processes the findings and implications Paper. In so doing, I must declare an interest as a of new treatments as rapidly as possible includes patron of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and as the NICE issuing guidance on drugs to treat Alzheimer’s wife of an Alzheimer’s sufferer. and other dementia diseases as quickly as it can. The Question was as follows: Lord Ashley of Stoke: My Lords, I am astounded To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they that my noble friend should say that the amount of plan to increase government spending on research funds devoted to research into this terrible disease is into dementia. significant. It is insignificant by any standards, and I am astonished that she should make that claim in this Baroness Thornton: My Lords, in recent years, the House. No Government have a good record on dementia. Government have invested significant sums in dementia I welcome their recent announcement that they are research and will continue to do so. We believe that developing a national dementia strategy. Nevertheless, more could and should be done. That is why consultation the real requirement now is for a massive injection of on a national dementia strategy that we published last funds, because with them, anything is possible. Without month includes a recommendation and plans for building them, dementia will remain for ever the pathetic orphan on the existing UK research base. of medicine. That simply will not do in this House. Baroness Thornton: My Lords, the point that I was Baroness Perry of Southwark: My Lords, I thank making to my noble friend was that the increase from the Minister for that positive reply, but is there not a £5.9 million to £29 million in 10 years is significant. serious mismatch between the size of the problem and There is absolutely no doubt that more funding needs the Government’s response? Do not 700,000 people to be found and will be found. The other point that I already suffer from this terrible disease? That number was making is that there is no point putting in extra is forecast to double in the next 20 years, at a cost to money if the research base does not provide the highest the Exchequer of about £34 billion. Many leading quality science that we need to deal with this dreadful scientists have warned that that could destroy the condition. National Health Service. Does not that make the Government’s investment of a mere £25 million, only Baroness Gardner of Parkes: My Lords, is that not 3 per cent of the Department of Health’s research the problem? Although the money that we are putting budget, look totally inadequate? in seems a lot, the Americans are putting in £64 million for the equivalent of our population. We are putting in £29 million. Is it not essential to see that young scientists Baroness Thornton: My Lords, we face a very serious are encouraged to enter this field? Unless we can get problem; the Government are well aware of that. We young scientists interested in this, we will not have a are committed to supporting and enabling more research succession of people who can do the necessary research. on dementia. A significant amount of money, £29 million, is being invested today. In addition, the Department is Baroness Thornton: My Lords, the noble Baroness investing £20 million over five years for the national is absolutely right, as she often is. That is part of why research network on dementia and neurodegenerative the national strategy is so important. One of its key diseases, DeNDRoN, plus several new initiatives involving aims is to raise awareness in the medical professions of amounts of £6 million to £8 million. Since 1997, the the importance of this disease and the importance of increase is from £5.9 million to £29 million in the past combating it. 1645 Health: Dementia[LORDS] Russia: Human Rights 1646 Baroness Jay of Paddington: My Lords, I declare an The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth interest similar to that of the noble Baroness, Lady Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): My Lords, human rights Perry, in that I am also a patron of the national are a central part of the EU’s relations with Russia. advisory group on Alzheimer’s—the Alzheimer’s Research Consultations take place between the EU and Russia Trust. Is my noble friend aware that that trust, which on human rights every six months. This April, the EU does not receive public money, is forced to turn away raised a number of concerns related to human rights about two out of three of the research applications and fundamental freedoms in Russia. The EU-Russia that are put to it because of lack of resources? Drawing human rights dialogue should form an important part on her point about making the case for doing something of the successor to the EU-Russia Partnership and on the basis of cancer research, is it not unfortunate Co-operation Agreement, negotiations on which began that an organisation of that kind is so economically earlier this month. disadvantaged? Lord Judd: My Lords, while I am sure that I share Baroness Thornton: My Lords, that is very unfortunate. with others a sense of encouragement from what my As part of the strategy that was announced by my noble friend has said, does he not agree that, faced honourable friend the Minister last month, a dementia with the grave threats that confront us all, human research summit will be held in the autumn to bring rights and justice are not optional extras but fundamental together the key stakeholders, particularly the relevant to holding secure our own societies? In this context, charities and voluntary organisations, so that they can are the Government able to concentrate with the Russians take an active part in developing the future research on the dumbing down of the media, the harassment agenda.