Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of increasing funding for new radiotherapy technologies.

The Office for Life Sciences is a joint unit sitting in this Department and the Department for Health and Social Care. It exists to power the government’s health and growth missions and improve patient outcomes.

The Government does not generally ringfence funding for particular areas of research but continues to fund research for innovative radiotherapy approaches through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Since 2021, their Medical Research Council has awarded £15 million for cutting edge approaches such as FLASH photon therapy, and Innovate UK has invested £3.2 million to projects through the Biomedical Catalyst, including nanoparticle enhanced radiotherapy.

In 2023, UKRI invested £32 million in the National Total Body PET Imaging Platform to enhance national capabilities in the use of radioactive tracers.