Cornish MPs Support MS Therapy Centres in Commons

12.05.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 31st Jan 2007

Colin Breed MP

The five Cornish MPs yesterday (Tuesday 30th January) tabled a Commons motion, along with the Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Norman Lamb, to highlight the plight of Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centres, which are non-profit making charities, in having to pay for inspection charges decided by the Healthcare Commission.

Colin Breed, MP for South East Cornwall, commented today,

"These fees could range from over £1,000 to a predicted £4,000. To a project such as Merlin, this is a huge and crippling amount - it could take a year of fund raising to obtain such a sum. The existing Centres have no objection to the imposed inspections but in actual fact they have a functioning rigorous system of their own which has never failed."

Dr Derek Murphy, Chair of the Merlin Project said,

"Cornwall has an exceptionally high prevalence of MS and badly needs the specialist MS treatment centre for which people all over the county - including many disabled people - have been working hard to fund raise.

"Cornish people have a great reputation for generosity and are backing Merlin all the way with every penny they can spare - how are we to tell them that in future they will be asked to donate yet more, this time because the Centres have been singled out, as the only non profit making bodies asked to pay the Government's fees for healthcare inspections, at a time when the Government is encouraging charities to supplement NHS services?

"In Cornwall we feel that we should go on for the sake of the people who need the Centre, but how realistic is this? How can we ask people to do yet more to pay these fees?"

Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro & St Austell, added,

"I hope that the Government responds positively to the motion - there is hardly a better cause. Most people expect services like this to be provided automatically through the NHS. At the very least the Government should be making sure that they play their part in easing the financial strain on MS Therapy centres, but instead they are choosing to add to it!"

ENDS