Plymouth MP Oliver Colvile asks a cancer question

By PRSD, on Thursday, November 10, 2011

Oliver Colvile, the Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP has faced criticism for accepting hospitality from a tobacco firm

Beleaguered Plymouth MP Oliver Colvile has asked a cancer question in Parliament… but, no it’s not a lung cancer question from the MP embroiled in accepting hospitality from one of the world’s largest cigarette manufacturers.

The Cough Up Colvile MP campaign was started by constituents unhappy with the MP’s acceptance of nearly £700 hospitality from Japan Tobacco International, especially after he voted to ease smoking restrictions.

Olli explained it was all good fun at a cricket match that had nothing to do with smoking, but rather business in Malawi, and anyway, if you smoke it’s your own look out (we are paraphrasing, of course, check out the story: Plymouth MP Oliver Colvile followed by the fug of tobacco firm hospitality).

The Cough Up Colvile campaign requested that the MP, whose take-home pay is around three times that of the Plymouth average, pay the equivalent of his hospitality to a cancer charity. (Do we really need to paraphrase Olli’s reply?)

Now the MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport has asked a question on cancer in Parliament, not about lung cancer, but about prostate cancer, which affects around one in nine men in the UK.

Olli asked the Secretary of State for Health “what progress the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has made on establishing a topic expert group to create a Quality Standard for prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.”

The response from Paul Burstow was: “The information requested is not held by the Department. I have asked the chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to write to the hon. Member with this information. A copy of this letter will be placed in the Library.”

• For information on prostate cancer, visit the Prostrate Cancer Charity site or Cancer Reasearch UK