PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

445WH
Fetal Anti-convulsant Syndrome
26 MARCH 2013
Fetal Anti-convulsant Syndrome
446WH
to ensure that the case of children who suffer from the
syndrome is advanced within such forums, and today’s
debate will help with that.
Anas Sarwar: The Minister says that she likes plain
language, and I, too, like plain language. With due
respect, any family with a child suffering from such a
condition will not want to hear strategy documents;
they want to hear what specific action is to be taken to
help such families, what compensation they might get,
what action is to be taken against the medical companies,
or what change of structure will take place in the health
service to ensure against such failures happening again.
They do not need strategy documents; they need plain
language and action. What will they get?
Anna Soubry: I am trying to assist the hon. Gentleman
by explaining that women with epilepsy should, from
the very outset, get proper, sound information and
should have a full and frank discussion with their
medical practitioner so that they can make an informed
choice based on everything put forward and knowing
the pros and cons. There are many pros—[Interruption.]
I prefer not to be heckled. I am happy to give way, and I
will in a moment, because I do not have a difficulty with
doing so.
I was absolutely clear in my explanation. I then
discussed a series of organisations and structures—call
them what you will—that also make it clear that the
health and well-being of all children, including those
who suffer from this syndrome, must be considered, and
they must be looked after and cared for as we all wish
them to be. The hon. Gentleman now seeks for the
spotlight to be turned on this particular syndrome as it
has perhaps not been before, and he is achieving that
through the debate and by bringing me to this Chamber
so that I can assure him that I will take the matter back
to the responsible Minister. The hon. Gentleman has
already pushed the syndrome up the list of priorities by
casting the spotlight on to it, as should be the case.
Furthermore, services for children with special educational
needs—some of the children we are discussing will need
such services—will be enhanced by the provisions in the
Children and Families Bill. From 2014, local authorities
and clinical commissioning groups—this is an important
provision to understand—will commission services jointly
to meet the educational, health and care needs of young
people with SEN through a single, integrated assessment
process. In other words, we are now beginning for the
first time ever to integrate all the specific needs of a
particular child, right across all the various departments
and people involved, in a way that has not been done
before.If wedothat,wewillundoubtedlyseeanimprovement
in the lives of those children.
Anas Sarwar: I assure the Minister that I was not
heckling her; I am too much of a gentlemen to do that. I
was trying to say yes to action on proper advice for
potential mothers with epilepsy and to future guidance
to stop the condition happening, but my direct question
was about the support to be given to the families for
whom that is too late. They already have the condition
and the difficult circumstances. What specific support
will they get?
Anna Soubry: Those families are already receiving
support; no one is saying that the children have been
completely abandoned and are not getting any support
at all. Perhaps much more can be done but, as the hon.
Gentleman knows, in a debate of this length and given
the constraints placed on me or any Minister, he will
not get an instant answer, especially without notice of
such questions. If I cannot answer all his questions in
the short time that we have, and the clock is against me,
he will get a letter with all his questions answered.
Furthermore, when I go back to the responsible Minister,
the hon. Gentleman will no doubt get a meeting to
follow.
I thank the hon. Gentleman again for securing the
debate. He has cast the spotlight as it needed to be done,
and I am sure that there will be positive outcomes as
a result.
11.29 am
Sitting suspended.