Oral Answers to Questions

Emily Thornberry Excerpts

Tuesday 25th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Paul Burstow]

The NHS has real-terms increases in its resources, and those resources are going into the programme that we outlined in our outcome strategy. Three quarters of a billion pounds will be going into that programme to deliver improvements in cancer services and the £200 million, being extra, will go into improving cancer services. That is the commitment that the Government have made and that is the investment that we will make.

[Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury) (Lab)]

Is the Minister listening when Macmillan warns that the proposed changes to the NHS risk us losing expertise in the cancer networks? If that happens, Macmillan says that

“cancer treatment will get worse…some treatments could even collapse in parts of the country…more patients could die earlier”.

As the Minister in charge of cancer services, should not he be on the side of cancer patients, not backing his boss’s reckless reforms?

[Paul Burstow]

The last comment was pretty cheap, and no Government Member has suggested that the future of the cancer networks is in doubt. Indeed, in the coming financial year, the funding is secure. As we move to the new arrangements, it will be for the NHS commissioning board to decide the appropriate arrangements for commissioning in the future. We are clear that the expertise of those groups could, should and will continue to be used to support commissioning in the future.