Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that cancer patients receive radiotherapy treatment within the 62 day standard wait time in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department remains committed to ensuring that all patients receive a swift diagnosis and timely access to treatments, including patients in the Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. We know that patients are often waiting too long for treatment which is why we have recently invested £70 million into new LINAC radiotherapy machines, replacing older, less efficient machines. These machines are currently being rolled out. This will be the first step in boosting productivity across the country, thereby allowing more patients to be seen per session, reducing waiting times for patients who require radiotherapy treatment.

In addition, the National Health Service is delivering an additional 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week. The NHS has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, having delivered 5.2 million more appointments.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of private parking firms using payment by app only on users who cannot use a mobile phone.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government has recently consulted on its proposals for a new code of practice for private parking operators to follow.

The government is aware that predominantly elderly and disabled motorists are the most likely to experience challenges when using mobile phones to pay for parking.

As part of the consultation, the government sought views on the impact its proposals would have on protected groups, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act.

The consultation closed on 26 September and the government will respond in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what factors are considered when allocating investment for research in the less survivable cancers; and what steps he is taking to combat underfunding for less survivable cancers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

These investments are pivotal to informing our efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of this investment is Imperial College London’s research on breath tests to detect less survivable cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Further information on the research is available at the following link:

https://imperialbrc.nihr.ac.uk/2023/06/05/imperial-led-uk-cancer-breath-tests-reach-final-stages/

Another example of Government investment was the launch of the NIHR’s national Brain Tumour Research Consortium in September 2024, which is bringing together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of making scientific advances in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat rare and less-survivable brain tumours in adults and children.

The NIHR welcomes further high-quality proposals from researchers to inform approaches to prevention, treatment, and care in relation to less survivable cancers. Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. The Government supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for less common cancers.

Found: Innovation and Technology Committee members present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner

Found: Emily Darlington (Labour; Milton Keynes Central) George Freeman (Conservative; Mid Norfolk) Dr Allison Gardner