Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the expansion of the UK National Screening Committee’s remit to include consideration of targeted screening programmes on the evaluation of a wider range of screening options for conditions associated with lifestyle related risk factors.

Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening by National Health Service screening programmes, with over 10 million taking up the invitation. Through our NHS screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.

The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts. It is only where there is robust evidence that an offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.

Following its expanded remit, in 2022, the UK NSC recommended lung cancer screening to people between the ages of 55 and 74 years old who smoke or have previously smoked, a lifestyle related risk factor. The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is being rolled out across England.

During its three-month open call for topics, the UK NSC welcomes proposals that cover population screening or targeted screening topics. Any individual or organisation can submit a topic to the UK NSC to consider. The UK NSC will consider whether the proposal is within the UK NSC remit and, if so, how the topic should be explored further.