Ashley Dalton

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) for securing the debate and all hon. Members who have contributed. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who appears to be quickly making an exit but remains in his place, spoke about mental health. The hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) spoke about destigmatisation for disordered eating and for type 1 diabetes. By sharing her diagnosis in this place, she is making a huge contribution towards destigmatisation, and I thank her for that. My hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Alex McIntyre) shared his family’s story, which is heartbreaking and shows the impact that these issues have on people. My hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Tom Collins) talked about technological advancement and support. As my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase outlined in his remarks, type 1 diabetes and disordered eating—T1DE—is not a widely known condition, yet it potentially affects up to a third of people with type 1 diabetes. People with T1DE find themselves trapped in a battle between needing to control their diabetes with insulin and trying to control their weight in an unhealthy way. It is a vicious cycle. People with T1DE experience increased ill health and, sadly, an increased chance of early death. Studies have shown that people with T1DE who restrict insulin have a mortality rate more than three times higher than those who do not. We should pay tribute to the diabetes charities that are doing so much for people living with diabetes across the UK and tackling this problem head on, such as Beat, which has dedicated helplines for people struggling with this condition; Breakthrough T1D, which funds international research to cure, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes and its complications; and Diabetes UK, which does a fantastic job of articulating the community’s needs to Government.