Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England plans to publish the evidence base underpinning the decision to revise the CAR-T tariff; and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the revised tariff on patients' access to treatment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since the introduction of the severity modifier, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved 34 out of 35 blood cancer medicines it evaluated, reflecting an approval rate of 97%. Of these topics, a severity weighting was applied in nine topics.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) is a type of personalised immunotherapy in which a patient's own T-cells are harvested, genetically modified, and then reintroduced into the body so that they can detect and destroy cancer cells. England was the first country in Europe to deliver CAR-T. It has been available in selected specialist centres in the National Health Service in England since 2018.
As an innovative treatment option, NHS England has supported the development and subsequent refinement of a CAR-T specific tariff, working with NHS clinical and costing experts to ensure that CAR-T centres receive the funding they need to deliver these complex treatments safely and effectively. This work has informed the advice provided by the NHS to NICE.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the severity modifier on recent NICE recommendations on blood cancer treatments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since the introduction of the severity modifier, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved 34 out of 35 blood cancer medicines it evaluated, reflecting an approval rate of 97%. Of these topics, a severity weighting was applied in nine topics.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) is a type of personalised immunotherapy in which a patient's own T-cells are harvested, genetically modified, and then reintroduced into the body so that they can detect and destroy cancer cells. England was the first country in Europe to deliver CAR-T. It has been available in selected specialist centres in the National Health Service in England since 2018.
As an innovative treatment option, NHS England has supported the development and subsequent refinement of a CAR-T specific tariff, working with NHS clinical and costing experts to ensure that CAR-T centres receive the funding they need to deliver these complex treatments safely and effectively. This work has informed the advice provided by the NHS to NICE.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve timely access to innovative therapies for people with blood cancers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since the introduction of the severity modifier, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved 34 out of 35 blood cancer medicines it evaluated, reflecting an approval rate of 97%. Of these topics, a severity weighting was applied in nine topics.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) is a type of personalised immunotherapy in which a patient's own T-cells are harvested, genetically modified, and then reintroduced into the body so that they can detect and destroy cancer cells. England was the first country in Europe to deliver CAR-T. It has been available in selected specialist centres in the National Health Service in England since 2018.
As an innovative treatment option, NHS England has supported the development and subsequent refinement of a CAR-T specific tariff, working with NHS clinical and costing experts to ensure that CAR-T centres receive the funding they need to deliver these complex treatments safely and effectively. This work has informed the advice provided by the NHS to NICE.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which genomic and biomarker testing is routinely embedded at the point of cancer diagnosis across NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes tests for over 200 cancer clinical indications.
From April 2026 NHS England has been embedding a new operating model for delivery of the NHS GMS through seven NHS GMS Lead Providers. Each NHS GMS will deliver a cancer genomics clinical function to bring together multi-profession leadership to embed and drive improvements in end to end cancer genomics pathways and deliver genomic testing in clinically relevant turnaround times. The programme also includes expanding the number of cellular pathology genomic centres to streamline the cancer diagnostic sample pathway and support timely return of genomic test results to inform clinical management and enable cancer patients to access innovative therapies.
In addition, the National Cancer Plan identified diagnostic technologies as a strategic research priority for improving survival rates for those living with or treated for cancer. The Office for Life Sciences has funded a primary care intervention study via the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment Programme to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of multi-cancer detection tests in primary care to support future commissioning of diagnostic biomarkers in diagnostic pathways.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of barriers to the adoption of personalised treatment approaches for blood cancer patients.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring blood cancer patients can benefit from more personalised approaches to treatment where these are supported by the best available evidence.
The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will support this through expanding access to genomics, modernising diagnostic services, and accelerating the adoption of evidence-based innovation across the National Health Service. By 2028, genomic data will be integrated into the unified genomic record as part of the Single Patient Record, enabling clinicians to identify the most effective treatment pathway more quickly.
Decisions on the commissioning and adoption of individual tests and treatments are informed by the available clinical evidence and are the responsibility of NHS England. Decisions about an individual's treatment are made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, taking account of the patient's clinical circumstances.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential role of minimal residual disease testing in supporting more personalised treatment pathways for blood cancer patients.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring blood cancer patients can benefit from more personalised approaches to treatment where these are supported by the best available evidence.
The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will support this through expanding access to genomics, modernising diagnostic services, and accelerating the adoption of evidence-based innovation across the National Health Service. By 2028, genomic data will be integrated into the unified genomic record as part of the Single Patient Record, enabling clinicians to identify the most effective treatment pathway more quickly.
Decisions on the commissioning and adoption of individual tests and treatments are informed by the available clinical evidence and are the responsibility of NHS England. Decisions about an individual's treatment are made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, taking account of the patient's clinical circumstances.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that personalised approaches to blood cancer treatment are reflected in plans to shift care closer to home.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan sets out a modern cancer care model that is more personalised, coordinated and delivered closer to home where clinically appropriate. The Neighbourhood Health Service will support delivery of this model by bringing elements of cancer care into community settings such as neighbourhood health centres, alongside other local services.
Multi-disciplinary neighbourhood teams will coordinate care around the individual, including those with blood cancer, helping to reduce fragmentation between services, improve integration across health and community provision, and better align care with people’s day-to-day lives.
Furthermore, in 2025, we published Standardising Community Services which provides an overview of community health services. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for integrated care boards, and a copy of this is attached.
Clear definitions of core community health services will enable systems to measure demand, capacity and workforce, and streamline services to reduce unwarranted variations, including for cancer care. This guidance will also support commissioners in making investment choices when designing neighbourhood health services and in moving more care into the community.
We need to ensure that staff across the health and care system are supported to work as effectively as possible for their populations, in joined-up, integrated neighbourhood teams. That is why neighbourhood health is designed to support them, by bringing professionals together in new neighbourhood teams to cut duplication and use digital tools to make their day-to-day work more efficient so they can focus on patient care.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that community health services are equipped to support appropriate elements of blood cancer care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan sets out a modern cancer care model that is more personalised, coordinated and delivered closer to home where clinically appropriate. The Neighbourhood Health Service will support delivery of this model by bringing elements of cancer care into community settings such as neighbourhood health centres, alongside other local services.
Multi-disciplinary neighbourhood teams will coordinate care around the individual, including those with blood cancer, helping to reduce fragmentation between services, improve integration across health and community provision, and better align care with people’s day-to-day lives.
Furthermore, in 2025, we published Standardising Community Services which provides an overview of community health services. Further guidance was published in February 2026, providing more detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services for integrated care boards, and a copy of this is attached.
Clear definitions of core community health services will enable systems to measure demand, capacity and workforce, and streamline services to reduce unwarranted variations, including for cancer care. This guidance will also support commissioners in making investment choices when designing neighbourhood health services and in moving more care into the community.
We need to ensure that staff across the health and care system are supported to work as effectively as possible for their populations, in joined-up, integrated neighbourhood teams. That is why neighbourhood health is designed to support them, by bringing professionals together in new neighbourhood teams to cut duplication and use digital tools to make their day-to-day work more efficient so they can focus on patient care.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that advanced therapy medicinal product clinical trials in the United Kingdom reflect the diversity of patient populations who might benefit from those treatments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, regarding the UK-funded World Food Programme cash assistance for conflict-affected Lebanese, (1) in which areas of Lebanon is the assistance is being delivered, (2) which organisations are acting as implementing partners and (3) what safeguards are in place to ensure that UK-funded assistance does not benefit Hezbollah.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) Lebanon programme provides funding to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Lebanese Internal Security Forces (LISF) through targeted capacity building. In Financial Year 2025/26, UK assistance enabled LAF border deployments, training, essential equipment provision, and greater interoperability between the LAF and LISF. Palladium supports the delivery of UK funded programmes by providing technical advisory capacity.
World Food Programme (WFP) and other direct partners, including under the ISF, undergo enhanced due diligence to ensure strong controls preventing aid diversion, including risks of diversion to terrorists. UK cash assistance for vulnerable Lebanese households is distributed via WFP and downstream partners SHEILD, World Vision, Lebanese Red Cross and Caritas Lebanon and channelled nationwide through the Lebanese government's Shock Responsive Safety Net (SRSN) which targets the most vulnerable conflict affected families based on acute humanitarian needs. All funding is provided through reputable financial service providers.