Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average life expectancy is for (a) newly diagnosed and (b) recurrent glioblastoma patients in the NHS over the last 10 years.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis, treatment, and outcome data on cancer patients in England. The NDRS does not routinely publish statistics on life expectancy.
However, NHS England publishes survival data for all cancers, including brain cancer, which includes glioblastoma. Currently, glioblastoma is not included as a separate cancer group in our routine statistics.
The latest data shows one year survival after diagnosis is 41.7% and five‑year survival for brain cancer is 12.9%. The data can be found at the following link:
The Government recognises that glioblastoma is an aggressive and fast‑growing form of brain cancer with poor outcomes and is committed to improving outcomes and investing in research for brain cancers, including glioblastoma. The National Cancer Plan includes a strong focus on rarer and less common cancers, such as brain tumours, to drive earlier diagnosis, improved care, and better survival.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what new personalised treatments for glioblastoma are being assessed.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for assessing new medicines to ensure they meet the required standards of quality, safety, and efficacy before they can be authorised for use in the United Kingdom. The MHRA conducts a rigorous, evidence‑based scientific review of all applications for marketing authorisation and assesses them against statutory timelines. Northwest Biotherapeutics has submitted a marketing authorisation application to the MHRA for DCVax®-L, an immunotherapy for glioblastoma. The MHRA cannot comment on individual applications while they are under assessment but is committed to enabling safe and effective new treatments to reach patients as quickly as possible once the necessary standards are met.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing. NICE is in discussions with the manufacturer of DCVax-L, Northwest Biotherapeutics, about a potential appraisal subject to licensing.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure NHS professionals are aware of personalised cancer vaccines.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The CVLP has been instrumental in accelerating trial activity in cancer research, with CVLP sites driving faster activation and enrolment timelines.
The CVLP provides an extended network of referral sites to broaden trial access and to identify eligible patients through genetic analysis, working with the Vaccine Innovation Pathway to optimise patient recruitment. This means that patients can be recruited from across parts of the country and means that the United Kingdom was the fastest recruiting country for the first international trial of personalised vaccination after surgery for colorectal cancer.
As the CVLP continues its phased scale-up across the country, professional awareness is being driven by the expansion of participating trial sites and use of the referral network.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help small-volume automotive manufacturers access the US market.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Economic Prosperity Deal has reduced tariffs for UK exporters in critical sectors such as the car industry - this includes a preferential rate of 10% on 100,000 UK cars exported to the US each year.
The UK exports around 100,000 cars a year, so this quota will ensure most cars entering the US will do so at a preferential rate.
We are also providing targeted export support through our exports programme and engaging in wider trade policy dialogues with the US.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to secure the release of Lindsay and Craig Foreman.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 March in response to Question 114825.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 24853 on North Korea: Christianity, what assessment she has made of the steps taken by Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response to her Department's engagement on human rights issues, including on freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of severe persecution in North Korea for those adopting or practicing religion. We welcomed North Korea's participation in the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review's fourth cycle (in November 2024) and continue to urge North Korea to take concrete actions to fulfil its commitment to implement the accepted recommendations. We will continue to raise human rights issues with North Korean officials bilaterally and in multilateral fora, including to allow independent civil society organisations immediate and unhindered access to the country.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether in future financing for Ukraine, in line with the policy conditions for macro-financial assistance proposed by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in its ‘Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the of the Council implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the Ukraine Support Loan for 2026 and 2027’, the UK government will advocate that a proportion of any financial contribution be used to assist in the financing of compensation, as a form of reparation, to victims who have suffered harm as a result of Russia’s armed aggression.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the progress made towards delivery of the EU's €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan: this will be critical to meeting Ukraine's pressing needs. The loan's regulation also makes clear financing may be used by Ukraine to assist in the financing of compensation, as a form of reparations, to those individuals who have suffered damage from the illegal actions of Russia. This includes cases through the Claims Commission for Ukraine established under the auspices of the Council of Europe, of which the UK is a signatory. We remain committed to accountability and the principle that Russia should pay for the damage it has caused. We will continue to coordinate with G7 and EU partners to ensure that Ukraine gets the funding it needs.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Nikkei's investigation entitled Chinese state company helps Russian ally build ammunition plant, published on 23 February 2026.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have taken action, including sanctions, against entities supporting Russia's military‑industrial complex. As the Prime Minister made clear in Beijing, we continue to urge China to prevent such activity and to use its influence to press Russia towards a just and lasting peace.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK's signing of the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, what the Government’s timeline is for bringing forward the legislation required to ratify the Convention.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia must be held accountable for its illegal actions in Ukraine. The UK is a founding member of the Register of Damage and I signed the Convention to establish an International Claims Commission for Ukraine on 16 December 2025. We expect to lay the treaty before Parliament in the current parliamentary session, with further domestic steps required for ratification to follow in due course.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of Amnesty International's press release entitled Georgia: Elections marred by severe reprisals and risk of further violence, published on 3 October 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I am aware of the report in question, and I have raised my own concerns about the imprisonment of opposition figures, pressure on civil society, and attacks on independent media directly with the Georgian Government. The UK will continues to raise those human rights issues with the Georgian authorities, and to work with international partners, including through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to support democratic standards and accountability.