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Barry Sheerman recently spoke out on the proposal to close the Leeds Children's Heart Surgery Unit.

The unit provides vital specialist care to children across Yorkshire. Closing the Leeds Heart Surgery Unit would require children seeking life-saving surgery each year to travel long distances to another facility. Barry believes this could put the children's lives in even greater jeopardy.

Barry also asked a question to the Minister of State for the Department of Health, Simon Burns, on the future of the Heart Surgery Unit.

"Some of us were rather caught short, because we did not realise that the debate would start so early. For someone who lives in Huddersfield with a child who needs specialist care, the common sense consideration seems to be accessibility. Why do we not get more specialists in Leeds, so that we can access the vast population in our parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire?"

Mr Burns replied that the consultation process and review is being carried out by the Joint Committee on Primary Care Trusts, rather than Ministers and politicians. However, Barry hopes more parliamentarians will get involved to ensure the Surgery Unit remains open for families across Yorkshire.

To help stop the closure of the Leeds Surgery Unit, please sign the petition below: http://www.chsf.org.uk/save-our-heart-surgery-unit.