Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of screening provisions for (a) breast cancer and (b) cervical cancer.

The Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from sickness to prevention.

The performance of all national screening programmes is under regular review, informed by advice from the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England, and ongoing analysis of programme and outcome data.

20,000 cancers were identified through breast screening in England in 2024/25, demonstrating the programme’s ongoing contribution to early diagnosis of breast cancer and ensuring women with cancer are referred to treatment in a timely manner.

Breast screening attendance has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with approximately 70.6% of women taking up their invitation to be screened and approximately 71.8% of eligible women up to date with screening.

Breast screening is estimated to save the lives of approximately 1,300 women each year in the United Kingdom.

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme is highly effective at preventing cancer as well as detecting disease early, primarily through the identification and treatment of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and pre-cancerous changes.

The programme is estimated to save approximately 4,500 lives each year in England. As of 2023/24, 1,058 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer through screening while 70,286 were diagnosed with pre-cancerous changes of varying severity in cells on the surface of the cervix. 92.6% of women who had a referral to colposcopy for high grade, or more serious, cell changes were offered an appointment within two weeks.

Approximately 68.8% of eligible women were up to date with screening in the 2023/24 screening year in England. Later this year, we will start to offer self-testing for HPV to women who have missed their cervical screening appointments by at least six months. This expansion aims to overcome barriers that stop women from taking up cervical screening.