John Baron highlights new EU regulation’s risks to cancer research

MP: cancer charities have real concerns

At Health Questions today in the House of Commons, John Baron MP asked the Minister, Nicola Blackwood MP, about the implications for health research from the EU General Regulation on Data Protection, which takes effect from 25th May 2018.

John then asked,

“The EU General Data Protection Regulation is due to come into force next year, and will make it more difficult to share data. Cancer charities are concerned, including Cancer Research UK, because the extent of life-saving research, especially into rare and children’s cancers, would not have been possible were it not for data-sharing. Will the Minister do what she can to shield the UK from this harmful regulation, particularly as it will disproportionally affect us given the wealth of our data?”

The Minister replied that the Government was aware of the potential problem, and were reviewing the situation to ensure data sharing was not adversely affected.

John said afterwards,

“Making our personal and commercial data more secure should not come at the cost of hindering potentially life-saving medical research. This regulation is causing real concern amongst research institutes and cancer charities, and the Government must ensure that these concerns are resolved.”