Rare Cancers Bill

Lord Palmer of Childs Hill Excerpts

Friday 16th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD)]

My Lords, I must thank the sponsors of this Bill and congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Elliott, who spoke of breakthroughs, which are very important. As we might have expected, we have heard heart-rending stories and stories from personal survivors. When we discuss the Bill, we must remember our dear friends and relatives, as many noble Lords have said.

Rare cancers make up about 24% of cancers diagnosed in the UK and the EU per year. This includes cancers of children and young people. My reason for speaking is the delays that children and young people with cancer are experiencing when applying for the disability benefits—DLA and PIP—to which they are entitled. My plea to the Minister is to add to the Bill about rare cancers a removal of the qualifying period to reduce the delays these people experience.

Is it acceptable for young people with cancer—some of the cancers are rare; some are not—to wait seven months or more to receive their disability benefits? Every year, about 4,200 children and young people under 25 are diagnosed with cancer, some instances of which are rare cancers. Beyond the medical impact of cancer, children, young people and families face a hidden and often devastating financial burden from living with cancer. It is about £700 in additional costs every month for items including travel to hospital, food, energy bills, childcare, parking, accommodation and more. Due to the immediacy, intensity and impact of cancer and its treatment, most young people and families experience the burden of these additional costs immediately after diagnosis. More than three in five—64%—face extra expenses within the first month. Within three months, this increases to four in five—79%. While the impacts of cancer persist beyond treatment, and benefits are still needed after treatment, the most significant costs for many occur during treatment, particularly during the crucial first few months following diagnosis.

These sudden and unexpected costs are often coupled with significant drops in income of, on average, £6,000 a year. For one in three, this could reach £10,000. However, the disability benefits system, designed to support people with this financial impact, is not meeting those needs due especially to delays. We have heard many noble Peers talk about delays—in receiving benefits as well as in receiving treatment.

To address these delays, children and young people with cancer and their families should be entitled to access welfare benefits immediately following diagnosis and should not be subject to a full qualifying period. The application process for welfare benefits should be simple, efficient and streamlined; it should utilise medical evidence to quickly determine eligibility for payments.

We are dealing here with rare cancers, but we must also talk about the stresses that people have when they are diagnosed with cancers and how they deal with them. I hope that, in replying, the Minister will address these delays, but these Benches support the Bill.