Which MPs and peers raise dementia most in Parliament?

Baroness Merron, Joe Robertson, Dr Danny Chambers lead the ranking of MPs and peers on dementia, based on every Hansard contribution since 9 July 2024.

How is the dementia ranking calculated?

Vital Signs ranks MPs and members of the House of Lords by a weighted score of their Hansard contributions on Dementia — speeches, written questions and committee work — over the course of this Parliament (since 9 July 2024). Ministerial statements and debate speeches carry more weight than written answers; every contribution counts at full weight however early in the Parliament it was made. Contributions are matched to this topic on whole-word keyword matching, so "send" is never mistaken for SEND and "career" is never mistaken for care. Ministers and shadow ministers are labelled, because answering on a brief is their job rather than a choice to raise it; their scores are shown as-is, not adjusted.

Dementia: which MPs and peers raise it most

Since the start of this Parliament, 239 MPs and peers have raised Dementia in Hansard debates, written questions and committee work. Debate has intensified recently: the last two months produced 109% more mentions than the two months before that.

The debate has been led most vocally by Baroness Merron (Labour, House of Lords), whose score of 50.0 is 1.1× that of the next most active contributor, Joe Robertson.

By party, Labour leads with 52% of weighted activity, followed by Liberal Democrat (19%) and Conservative (17%). The House of Commons accounts for 83% of all weighted activity on Dementia.

Most cited doctors & academics

UK clinicians and academics most frequently quoted as expert sources in press coverage of dementia.

Dr Josef Coresh
2 citations
Director of the Optimal Ageing Institute at NYU Langone
“need to actively avert these factors in midlife as a strategy for preserving brain health for more than a decade”
Three middle-age health rules could bring an extra 13 years without dementia, experts say
Dr Jacqui Hanley
2 citations
Head of research funding at Alzheimer's Research UK
“While there is no guaranteed way to prevent dementia, research, including this study, suggests that addressing risk factors for poor cardiovascular health may also help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia”
Three middle-age health rules could bring an extra 13 years without dementia, experts say
Dr. Josef Coresh
2 citations
director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone Health
“We found if you had more risk factors, you had an elevated risk of both dementia and mortality”
How 3 health factors can help delay dementia for up to 13 years
Dr Sonya Miller
1 citation
TauRx Therapeutics Management
“brain health is as important as physical health, and the two cannot be separated”
Three middle-age health rules could bring an extra 13 years without dementia, experts say
Hilary Colbeth
1 citation
UC Davis postdoctoral scholar in public health sciences
“It is striking that the racial and ethnic disparities in dementia risk observed in younger adults continue into the 10th decade of life. Specifically, Black and Hispanic participants had significantly higher dementia incidence rates than white and Asian participants.”
Dementia after age 90: Study clarifies who may be at higher risk
Professor Ian Maidment
1 citation
Aston University
“adds to the evidence, from multiple studies, that what is good for the heart is good for the brain”
Three middle-age health rules could bring an extra 13 years without dementia, experts say
Rachel Whitmer
1 citation
UC Davis Health professor of public health sciences and neurology, chief of epidemiology
“We know from other studies, done in people 65 and older, that there are differences in dementia rates, and women tend to have higher risk, but nobody knew if that was true after 90. We need to understand who is most affected by dementia after 90 and how the main Alzheimer's risk gene (APOE) factors in.”
Dementia after age 90: Study clarifies who may be at higher risk
Richard Siow
1 citation
at King's College London
“These include hearing loss and how socially isolated people are. Because of this, the benefits of avoiding the three midlife risks the study focused on may be greater or smaller than the results suggest.”
Three factors in midlife can delay the onset of dementia by 13 years

Vital Signs — Dementia

Vital Signs — Dementia

Mentions since the start of this Parliament

How the ranking works

Debate analysis

Media coverage

Most cited doctors & academics