The Chair of the APPG on Brain Tumours, Derek Thomas MP, last week tabled questions in Parliament asking what action the Government is taking to help support medical research charities like Brain Tumour Research during the COVID-19 crisis.
Government Minister Kemi Badenoch MP has now replied saying said that the Government was aware that many charities are struggling and that it is “closely monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on the sector.”
She went on to state that charities can access economic support structures such as the furlough scheme, Bounce Back Loans and the Coronavirus Business Interruptions Loan Scheme.
Whilst we welcome the Government’s awareness of the struggles that charities are facing, we would contend that medical research charities need grants, not loans, to get through this period and keep research going. We firmly believe that research funding should not have to be paid back.
Our Chief Executive Sue Farrington Smith MBE responded to the Government statement as follows: “We don’t receive Government funding under normal circumstances, but in these extraordinary times we are asking Government to recognise the special position of research charities, and the social, economic and healthcare good we do. They must step in to plug the funding gap. We are calling for the introduction of one-off grants to support medical research charities like Brain Tumour Research, and the life-changing research we fund.”
You can find a link to Derek’s questions and Kemi Badenoch’s answers here.
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