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 improve the provision of cancer treatment.

The National Health Service is making progress in delivering the Long Term Plan commitments for cancer by making innovative treatments available to people with cancer quickly. The Cancer Drugs Fund continues to provide patients with innovative drugs and since 2016 has helped over 90,000 patients, with 102 medicines treating 243 different cancers having received funding. The NHS continues to increase investment in minimally invasive cancer therapies and radiotherapy and chemotherapy services.

Earlier this year the Government launched a Vaccine Taskforce-style approach for cancer research and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care signed a memorandum of understanding with BioNTech to bring innovative vaccine research to England. In 2023/24, NHS England will continue to make investments in education and training to increase capacity in the cancer workforce, building on the £81 million invested in 2022/23.