Cancer Strategy for England

Debate between Jim Shannon and Noah Law

Thursday 31st October 2024 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

There is hardly a day when I do not make a speech, Mr Betts.

I thank the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing the debate and for sharing his personal story. Demonstrating an issue is best done with a personal story, if possible, so I thank him for that—it was incredible. I am minded of his story, and I think of my dad as well. My dad is dead and gone now, but when he was living in this world he had cancer on three occasions. It was many years ago, and the expertise for cancer care and healing were not as good then, but he survived because of the surgeon’s skill and the nurses care, and because he was a Christian and he believed very clearly in God’s help and the prayers of God’s people.

I start by saying how pleased we are to see £22 billion set aside for the NHS. That is constructive and positive and we should welcome it. Within that £22 billion there will be money for radiotherapy, and hopefully for training and bringing staff forward—it is important to have that as well. The hon. Member for Wokingham referred to the Royal Berkshire hospital, and in Northern Ireland we have similar problems.

I am going to tell a story that has been heard often. I am sure that most of us in this House were struck by the candid and very emotional video released by the Princess of Wales to inform the nation that she was going through the valley of cancer. The video was in response to a concerted campaign of disinformation against the princess of my heart, and probably all our hearts. She was disgracefully confronted with that every day. She was forced into a declaration of her intensely private journey with cancer, highlighting the effect on her husband, children and family. That very public declaration and the updates that she has so wonderfully provided have started a wide conversation about the dreaded C-word. We are deeply indebted to the Princess of Wales for that.

We also had the announcement about the King’s health. I was surprised and I immediately prayed for him, as I do every day. But the announcement about the Princess of Wales, a young woman in her prime, goes back to what the right hon. Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) said: many people do not see cancer as a disease of younger people. The Princess of Wales, who was apparently so healthy and vibrant, has caused many of our young people to remember that cancer is not a disease that is a respecter of person, age, religion or background. All are brought to their knees by this disease that is ravaging the nation.

In Northern Ireland the target is that at least 98% of patients diagnosed with cancer should begin their first definitive treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat. At least 95% of patients should begin their first definitive treatment for cancer within 62 days. The problem is that those timescales here on the UK mainland and for us back home in Northern Ireland are not always met—indeed, they are rarely met. That means that that first definitive treatment, which is so important, does not happen at the time it should, and the figures are not getting any better. With the £22 billion that has been set aside for the NHS, I am hopeful that, through the Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland, we will get additional money that we can use specifically for cancer treatment.

I want to make a point about research and development and make a plea for Queen’s University Belfast and the partnerships it has with companies. It brings students from all over the world to find treatments and cures for cancer. I know that happens in many other parts of the United Kingdom, which is good. Research and development is so important, so perhaps the Minister will give us some ideas about research and development when he sums up. I am pleased see him and welcome him to his place.

The question should not be about lowering the target, but about how we deliver and meet the target of curing cancer. Having spoken to cancer specialists, I know that the need for more staff in radiology and in labs to provide a quicker turnaround, as well as the need to ensure that there are trained specialist cancer nurses and staff in place, is a long-term issue that needs to be dealt with not with words but with action. We need to spend the budget in a much better way throughout the UK—perhaps the Minister will indicate how that will happen. I believe the answer lies in the recruitment of staff in all facets of the cancer machine—labs, radiology, pharmacy and care. Every area needs specialist training. We need to keep staff in place with better working conditions, rather than the wonderful staff that we have simply burning out due to the pressure.

[Noah Law]

The father of my constituent, Eli Martyr, has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Despite a difficult time, his father is being looked after amazingly well by NHS staff. If the Government commit to a national cancer strategy, will they ensure that the second biggest cancer killer, bowel cancer, is given sufficient attention? Can we address the staff and kit shortages and ensure that we improve the bowel cancer screening programme to improve the chances of survival?

[Jim Shannon]

I am of an age—I am not sure many others are in this Chamber—where I get a test for bowel cancer every year. A kit is sent out to do the job. Thankfully, every time I have done a bowel cancer test it has come back negative. To be fair, the NHS has a good system for that. When someone reaches 60, they are sent a test. They do the test and the NHS comes back very quickly. If something is wrong, they will hear right away. Although we sometimes criticise the NHS—rightly so—we should always recognise the good things that the NHS does. The hon. Gentleman was right to bring that up; I thank him for that.

The questions regarding cancer care in England are the same as for Northern Ireland: “How can we get the best outcome with what we currently have?” and “How can we plan to do better in the future?” Neither are easy questions, but the fact that some 9,000 new cancer diagnoses are made every year in Northern Ireland—these are drastic figures—in a population of 1.85 million, equating to one in two people developing cancer in their lives, means this issue must be a priority for us all.

I know that in his response the Minister will give us some positives in relation to where we are—I expect that, knowing the nature of the Minister—but it would also be helpful if we could have some idea about how we can better address this issue together, across this whole United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.