I have listened with great interest to the issues that have been raised during the debate. I congratulate Brian Adam on bringing the debate to the chamber and Shirley-Anne Somerville on her maiden speech.

It is hard to imagine what someone who has faced the undoubted difficulties and challenges of having cancer must feel like when they face yet another hurdle along the road to full rehabilitation. As Mary Scanlon said, survival rates have been improving. For example, breast cancer five-year survival is now at 80 per cent, bowel cancer survival is at more than 50 per cent and testicular cancer survival is at more than 90 per cent. More and more people are living longer with cancer, so the insurance issue that we are debating is a hurdle that more and more people will undoubtedly encounter.

It seems to me that this issue is not faced only by people who have cancer or who are recovering from it, nor is it unique to Scotland. The problem is surely a common feature for a great number of people, including those with diabetes and people who have had heart surgery, a stroke, or countless other diseases and conditions that may strike any one of us at any time, as Brian Adam said. The problem applies equally to other insurance, such as life insurance, mortgage protection, income protection and critical illness cover.

It is well known that insurance companies are likely to charge people who have a pre-existing condition that might increase their chance of becoming ill while on holiday increased premiums or offer an increased excess. The national health service cannot meet the costs of treatment abroad in such circumstances. The duty of NHS boards is to attend to the health needs of people who are resident in their areas in Scotland. There is no duty on boards to meet the medical costs of residents who become ill on holiday abroad. The onus is on the individual to take out suitable insurance. It follows that if the Government were to take the initiative to help people who have had cancer to obtain health insurance, a substantial body of people who have or have had other conditions might expect equal consideration.