Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase (a) funding and (b) research into ovarian cancer treatment, in the context of the closure of the National Cancer Research Institute.

The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) worked for over 22 years to bring together the cancer research community and connect researchers. The decision to close was made by the NCRI trustees and is not the result of Government funding or any other decisions.

As the landscape evolves, we will continue to work with the research community and funders across the ecosystem to deliver research that meets the needs of patients and the public. However, we do not expect the closure of NCRI to significantly impact National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funding of ovarian cancer research.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ovarian cancer research. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.