UK Tues 5 June 2:30 pm - live on Parliament TV - Carol Monaghan to ask for debate on ME

Only just seen this:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003733239322808327


Edit: Here's a link to it online (it was earlier this afternoon), which starts just as the discussion begins:

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/50fb53f3-c6ea-4848-8e5d-c00d6a52f005?in=14:30:20

Thanks to @Andy for that link.

 

Fingers crossed.

A bit late now, but probably wouls have been particularly helpful to write to the members of the committee:

Member Party
Ian Mearns (Chair) Labour
Bob Blackman Conservative
Colin Clark Conservative
Patricia Gibson Scottish National Party
Nigel Mills Conservative
Jess Phillips Labour
Alex Sobel Labour (Co-op)
Mr William Wragg Conservative

 

Parliament Live goes on for hours, BTW! I don't know when we'd be likely to see Carol in action.

 

I wonder if this is where she is speaking? (and if so I can't see where it is televised as only the main chamber seems to be on TV and the online versions shows the house of lords and westminster hall as well)

2.30 pm

Backbench Business - Oral Evidence Session
Proposals for backbench debates

Members of Parliament

Location: Room 16, Palace of Westminster

https://calendar.parliament.uk/calendar/Commons/All/2018/6/5/Daily

 

Just watched it here:
https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/50fb53f3-c6ea-4848-8e5d-c00d6a52f005

She was first application so started at 14:30. Looks like you can still watch.

 

This should link to the start - https://goo.gl/Dk8knE

It might start showing the live, current business - pause briefly and it should rewind to the right place.

 

Appears Carol and others have accepted offer of another Westminster hall debate, but this time lasting 3 hours, with the possibility of a commons debate in the autumn.
Not sure if this is a final decision.

Generally thought the MPs spoke well, and backbench committee appeared to want to support debate but felt Westminster hall as opposed to commons was right place first. Assuming it goes ahead this should happen within a month.

 

Thanks, Andy - I've edited that into my OP.

 

Thank you for the link @Gecko .@Andy, and any others.

I watched it and have just written to my MP to ask him to use his influence to progress the issue to a full debate. We have already had the WH debate in Feb. I don't know if it's usual to have more than one. Nicky Morgan spoke well again; glad Carol had backup. Another of her support group pointed out that far more than 250,000 are affected because families are severely affected by bedbound patients.

I was not sure that Carol clearly accepted the WH debate offer. Since it involves 2 government departments, Health and DWP, I thought an MP ( not known sorry) suggested it was better suited to the full chamber.

I thought the Chair seemed receptive but another MP on the Committee really pushed the WH offer hard so maybe this will prevail.

I am signed off to go on holiday tomorrow but couldn't resist this. Bye.....

ETA: I think it was Bob Blackman ( Cons) who was pushing the WH option. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Also: thanks also added to Andy and others for the link.

 

Thank you for the link!

I just watched the meeting on Parliament Live from here in Los Angeles.

I sure appreciated the support of Carol Monaghan, Nicky Morgan, and Stephen Pound.

Does anyone know the names of the two gentlemen seated screen-left and screen-right of Carol Monaghan and the woman screen right of Stephen Pound? Is it correct to assume they are all MPs?

Bill

 

The MP that brought up the two departments issue was Stephen Pound.

I was extremely glad (by the way) that he brought up the point of the DWP as they are very much linked to this through their unique funding of PACE and the hell they put claimants with this condition through.

 

Hopefully the MPs can succeed in making it clear that the BPS approach has totally failed and that there needs to be a fundamental change in academia and the healthcare system (not just in general approach that is BPS but also in terms of quality of studies). This must happen or we risk making no progress whatsoever. Making more funding and treatment available risks worsening the crisis rather than improving it!

Yes they said biomedical but the meaning of this word can be stretched. If you ask the functional neurological disorder people if they're studying biology they'd say yes! They're not wrong either, they're just making a lot of poorly supported interpretations with their biological data. And lots of biomedical research is of poor quality too.

 

When I wrote to my MP a while ago, he later sent me a copy of a letter he has sent to Jeremy Hunt and Esther McVeigh (DWP)so very glad he is pursuing this two Dept approach.
Have not heard if he has had a reply from either. I hope to see him soon.

 

Think the woman could be Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East), but don't quote me on that! I think the final male on your list is Alex Chalk (Cheltenham). Not sure who the welsh guy is.

@Binkie4 True, Carol did say her preference would be a main chamber debate. Then also said a Westminster Hall debate with a main chamber one later would be acceptable as long as we got that main chamber debate.

Another thought, when Bob Blackman was pushing for WH debate, he asked what the aim of having a debate was other than to raise awareness. (Starts at 14:39:22).
Carol proposed two aims, firstly impressing upon them how important raising awareness is, both of politicians and with medical professionals, and secondly to call upon the government to take a more serious position in terms of biomedical research.
Although I agree with both of those things I worry the second is a little weak in that it doesn't define any concrete action, or give a target of so much funding to aim for in the next 2 years say..

Bob Blackman suggested by having another Westminster Hall debate the MPs could formulate a suitable motion calling on the government to actually do something that they could then bring back to the commons. My impression here was that this may actually be a fairly sensible suggestion, albeit frustrating that we would have to wait until the autumn for anything to get back to the commons.

 

Kerry McCarthy it was. She did attend one of the ME APPG meetings once (minutes are online and her name may be mentioned as an attendee). Seemed to remember she may even have ended up chairing at one point due to absence of regular chair.

It would be in my notes (as I attended) but simply cannot find them at the moment.

 

@Gecko
I would need to think about your theory but I am going away in 12 hours time! It would be good to understand a bit more about the workings of Parliament; how the Parliamentary process can be used to progress our agenda. I think we need to use that. This is a big story.

I am not sure whether Bob Blackman was being helpful or just getting through his day's agenda. I tend to feel that while we have some momentum on our side, it would be good to continue going forward but maybe this is too optimistic. I see what you are suggesting but if it does stay at WH level, we must make sure we take it forward beyond the previous time.

I will see my MP once home again. I have also written to Nicky Morgan, and will continue to write when issues emerge.