Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 3:08 pm on 23 October 2019.
I was recently made aware of an organisation called the Cure Parkinson's Trust, which funds significant research in its mission to improve therapies and ultimately find a cure for Parkinson's disease. My grandfather passed away with Parkinson's disease many years ago. A constituent, David Murray, who is a former member of Newport City Council, is a trustee of the organisation. He lives himself with Parkinson's. I went to see him just the other day. He campaigns tirelessly for people with this condition. The trust is holding an important research update meeting in London next Monday, 28 October, and the life sciences sector is an increasingly important part of Wales's economy and there's a need to develop and better co-ordinate joint neurological research efforts for the benefit of the people of Wales with those that are going on across the border, and that's part of the purpose of the meeting that's taking place. I appreciate it's very short notice for the Minister, but would he be willing to either attend that meeting himself or send officials to that meeting in order to hold discussions about how approaches to research into Parkinson's can be better co-ordinated?