§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What sun awareness and skin cancer prevention campaigns they will fund in 2004; and [HL1423]
What action they plan to take over the next five years to reduce the incidence of malignant melanomas in the United Kingdom; and [HL1424]
Whether they will commit to providing long-term funding for skin cancer prevention campaigns. [HL1425]
§ Lord WarnerThe SunSmart campaign was launched in March 2003, funded by the United Kingdom health departments and run by Cancer Research UK. The campaign has received funding of £50,000 this year from the United Kingdom health departments. Decisions on further funding for SunSmart will be made in due course.
Many skin cancers, including malignant melanomas, take many years to develop and show clinically, in some cases up to 20 years. Therefore, the current incidence reflected many years ago, and incidence in the immediate years, will be reflected in years to come. The new SunSmart campaign, along with other Department of Health initiatives, aims to reduce unsafe exposure to the sun over the coming years. Examples are the continued funding of the National Radiological Protection Board, which has expertise on ultra-violet radiation issues relevant to the public health aspects of the prevention of skin cancer and also funding of the ultra-violet index in the media (TV, radio, Meteorological Office website). The successful campaign in Australia on which SunSmart is based produced demonstrable health benefits some 20 years after the campaign began.