Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of increasing research funding for rare cancers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research. In 2023/24, the NIHR invested £133 million in cancer research.

While my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made no assessment of the potential merits of increasing research funding for rare cancers in the Surrey Heath constituency, the Frimley Park Integrated Care System, located within the constituency, is part of the NIHR Research Delivery Network, and they play a key role in supporting the delivery of research, including into rarer cancers.

The NIHR invests in research capacity building, infrastructure, and delivery across the country in high priority areas, including cancer. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including rarer cancers. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The Government, through the NIHR, remains committed to improving research into rarer cancers.

The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency, to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.