This week, amongst other things, I hosted a reception in the House of Commons to celebrate the success of the campaign I have led to allow terminally ill patients the right to take part in clinical trials earlier than they are currently able to. 

 

After a long campaign, the Government announced last week its new Early Access to Medicines scheme, which will see doctors working with patients to make innovative and promising drugs available as soon as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has signalled that the benefits outweigh the risks following an initial scientific assessment. 

 

This follows the campaign that I have led, on behalf of my late constituent, Les Halpin, who sadly died at the end of last year from Motor Neurone disease. The campaign aimed to improve access to experimental drugs for patients with terminal illnesses and to allow them to take part in earlier clinical trials.

 

Photo: (left to right) Geoffrey Guy, GW Pharma, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Ruth Le Gal, Emily Crossley, Alex Johnson, George Freeman MP, Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality in the Department of Health.

 

I also had a meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP’s Special Adviser to discuss my new All-Party Parliamentary Group for an Integrated Transport Strategy. It was a positive meeting and we discussed various elements of the Government’s plans for future transport development and how the newly electrified West Coast Mainline will link to Heathrow, as well as how other parts of the country could be better connected. 

 

This weekend I will be attending the Stow Fair Meeting as well as having meetings with senior officials at Cotswold District Council, where amongst other issues planning and flooding will be discussed, and other meetings in preparation for my public flood meetings on the 4th April, details of which are below. 

 

0930-1100 SOUTH CERNEY FLOOD MEETING

Village Hall, SOUTH CERNEY GL7 5TZ

 

1130-1300 CIRENCESTER FLOOD MEETING

Council Chamber, Cotswold District Council, Trinity Road, CIRENCESTER GL7 1PX

 

1400-1515 FAIRFORD AND LECHLADE FLOOD MEETING

Farmer Room, Community Centre, High Street, FAIRFORD GL7 4AF

 

1615-1745 MORETON FLOOD MEETING

Moreton Area Centre, High Street, MORETON-IN-THE-MARSH, GL56 0AZ

 

1745-1845 ADDITIONAL FLOOD MEETING:  Three Rivers Ward

Moreton Area Centre, High Street, MORETON-IN-THE-MARSH, GL56 0AZ

 

With kind regards, 

 

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown