Ed Balls and John Bercow praise the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children

Young people being treated for stammering at a world-leading support centre in Islington, met Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls and John Bercow MP on Monday. The visit to the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children was part of Mr Bercow`s ongoing independent review into provision for children and young people with speech, language and communications needs. They also met staff and writer, actor and broadcaster Michael Palin himself, who gave his name to the centre, following his portrayal of a stammering character in `A Fish Called Wanda`. He based the role on his own father who suffered from stammering all his life. Opened in 1993, the centre assesses and has provided specialist help for over 2,500 children and young adults who stammer.