30/06/2013 Sunday Politics East Midlands

parents leading the campaign for research into childhood cancers.

There is not a lot of research from the pharmaceutical companies because

it is not profitable. As the East Midlands really a hotbed of

antimonarchist 's? This sets us apart. My guests are Health Minister

Anna Soubry and labour MP Chris Leslie. How was the Spending

Review? What was there specifically for us in East Midlands? We have got

investment in a tram route. We have got the electrification of the

Midland mainline. It is about restoring our economy so it is

better for all of us. Many people are finding life difficult and

tough. We have had to reduce public expenditure. I and elated that we

have continued to protect our health budget and our schools budget will

stop -- budget. There has been 2 billion set aside more for the

region. Anna was trying to put the best gloss on it she could. The

Chancellor is not doing enough to help the economy. He is focusing on

more cuts. He is not reducing the deficit. The deficit is going up. If

you do not get growth in the economy you will not repair the public

finances. What does that mean for us here? When the Chancellor said two

years ago he had taken all the cats he needed, that was obviously false

will stop -- cuts. We have already lost children's centres. We have

lost 160 police officers. You have chopped 230 nurses from the East

Midlands. How many more nurses are going to go? There are lots of

figures thrown in there. Can you answer? If everybody stops

interrupting angle Ansa. The country was nearly bankrupt in 2010.

Bankrupt? You have lost the credit rating. We had to make big cuts in

public expenditure. In doing that we tried to protect as many things as

we could. We have seen 1 million new jobs in the private sector. There

are more doctors now. We have detected that budget, something that

Labour would not have done. It is well and good to see what Chris has

said, but Labour would spend more money. Can you and to the question

on how many nurses we will lose Western Mac -- lose? A surgeon is

leading a campaign into research on childhood cancer. Here is our

political reporter. There is no doubting the levels of

care they receive here but could we be doing more for children suffering

from cancer. Dr David Walker is leading a campaign to relax rules

designed to protect patients from and tried drugs. Not all trials are

such high risk. Many trials are testing well-known drugs in new

combinations. That is the most commentators of trial. It is a

problem that is all too common for this family. 16-year-old Sam has

been to Belgium for treatment which has not been licensed in the UK.

Because children's cancers are classed as rare there is not a lot

of research from the pharmaceutical companies because it is not

profitable. There are not enough children to make a drug. That means

that fewer children are able to access new treatments. New

treatments are what I needed. has also been to Brussels to lobby

for a change in the law. This is not just for cancer patients like

myself, but also for patients that have not been so lucky, to support

them as well. The case has been taken up by MP Glenis Willmott. She

wants to make the new legislation work more effectively. These

children need these drugs now. Campaigners here want to make sure

that any new European regulations on children's cancer drugs are safe and

fair will stop at us and tried for change across the whole of Europe.

We will not quite change the world, but we will give it a good try.

is a campaign that is aimed mostly at Europe, but can the Government to

do more to lobby on this? It is a cross-party campaign. Can we do more

here to help? This is a decision by the European Parliament on a

particular directive. You can have a clinical trial in Belgium and the

results will not be relevant and other countries. It is the European

Parliament that makes the decision will stop -- decision. We are

providing �110 million in Cancer Research. There are also many

charities that raise money. Some cancers become more attractive, if

you like, to the public. We have made huge advances in breast cancer

and prostate cancer because they have resonated with the public.

the rare cancers. This is a real problem. Being in the European Union

EU can pool assets. But it is harder to raise money than it is to fight

the cancer, one of the families has said. There is a brilliant charity

in my constituency. There are so many brain cancers it is an

incredibly difficult subject. But there are people doing the most

amazing research. The charity in my constituency is funding research.

Glenis Willmott is taking a leading role in looking at this legislation

in Europe. We asked what are the chances of getting the rules

changed. The legislation needs revision. I have been working with

Dr David Walker from Nottingham. I have got unanimous support in the

committee. I am now negotiating with member States. We want to make these

trials easier and safer to run. We want access to all of the

information from all of the trials. I am delighted that we have had such

a success. Some real hope they our campaigners. Let us take a wider

look at health. Places like Nottingham and Leicester have a bad

record for life expectancy. We have put public health back where it

should be. It is back with local authorities. In Leicester they have

made obesity one of their targets. They are also doing fantastic work

of diabetes. That is all part of the public health agenda. Some of the

worst outcomes in health are linked to deprivation stop -- deprivation.

There is now a statutory duty on the NHS. In principle we agree that we

want local decisions. We do not want to see national governments pushing

this down to local councils and then pulling the rug from underneath them

will stop -- underneath them. If they do not have money for their

better housing that is needed and the projects to help young people

with healthy eating, and the funding formula was not very helpful, then

it is very worrying that we will not be making progress. We have given a

10% increase in the night of money that local councils get. It is a

two-year deal. It is ring fenced money. It enables councils to look

at transport policies. But 10% has been chopped off the local authority

budget. Council funding has been emasculated. We have to leave that

they are. The monarchy has had a difficult

time in this region in the past. Charles I surrendered here. Edward

VIII met Lady Simpson at Harlaxton. Campaign group Republic is holding a

meeting year this weekend. Leicester, restingplace of Richard

III will stop a great place to ask people what they think of the

monarchy. What is your idea on the monarchy? I get very now static. To

think of the Queen gives you a sense of national pride. It gives me some

identity. If I had a choice I would be anti-monarchy. Simple as that.

prefer to have the monarchy. I quite like the monarchy. I do not see the

argument about cost. I am quite proud. They never say how much money

she brings into the country. All the tourist come. They want to see

Buckingham Palace and the Royal palaces. The Queen is the Queen. I

was brought up knowing about the Queen. Without the Queen there is no

history in the country. What I you a spot on the monarchy? -- what are

your thoughts? It isn't hast extra tourism in this country. We are next

main selling a bad time financially, but we really need them at the

moment. They work very hard. A lot of fans there. Joining us now is

Graham Smith, the chief executive of Republic. How can you have said that

the East Midlands is a hotbed of anti-monarchism. There are lots of

people in the whole country that support our camp Lane. Articulately

here in East Midlands? -- support our campaign. Our campaign has grown

enormously. We are moving our annual conference out of London into the

Midlands. It is a reflection on the growth of our campaign. Opinion

polls show overwhelming support for the Royal family. We should qualify

that. It shows an overwhelming view that we can keep it as it is. There

is a constituency that loves the monarchy, and there are a group of

people that want to get rid of it. Our job is to show what the problem

is. It is difficult to make a serious judgement about what sort of

head of state we should have. you a royalist? Of course I am. You

do not have to be. We have to get this into perspective. I many

members have you got the East Midlands? The Queen has never been

so pillar. -- never been so popular. The alternative, a presidency...

That is not the alternative being proposed. In the Republic of Ireland

they elect ahead of state similar to the Queen. Every member of

Parliament takes allegiance to the Queen. In two years time we have the

800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. It was the first time they

taught about restraining the powers of the monarchy. They bring a lot of

money this country. They do not. The issue does not get debated on

serious grounds very often. How much money do they bring in? An

assessment was made. That was a PR stunt at the time of the Jubilee. I

said there was no evidence that tourism would go down if we got rid

of the monarchy. What are all these tourist this doing around Buckingham

Palace? They go to CDs things. -- say these things. At the time of

Diana's death, that must've been one of the all-time lows of Royal

family. I remember when they had a documentary on the Royal family.

They have changed their public relations. They have had a lot of

help from the BBC. We have two leave it there.

Time for a round-up of the other political stories.

MPs are turning their thoughts to holidays. One MP is urging

holiday-makers to take out an insurance policy.

Alan Meale wants The Sun newspaper removed from Parliament until it

removes its page the then up. -- H three.

Leicestershire MP claims the cost of the high-speed line will eventually

double. It is only a matter of how much money we waste on the way.

he had something to smile about. like it when John moves to the

right. For the record, John adopts a

neutral position will stop Alan Meale wants The Sun newspaper to be

and from sale at Westminster until the train moves page three. I would

not have it. I wish it would grow up. It is 2013. It is pathetic. I

wish they would stop doing it. The way to stop this by people making

that choice. It is an activist at. The idea is the on its sell by

date. Even Rupert Murdoch has been tweeting that he might stop it.