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 tackle rural disparities in cancer care.

The Department recognises that cancer outcomes remain poorest in some rural areas. To support improvement, the Government has provided £200 million of ring‑fenced funding for Cancer Alliances in 2026/27 to improve cancer pathway performance and reduce delays. The Department monitors progress through regular oversight with NHS England, tracking improvements in early diagnosis and treatment standards across regions. These measures underpin our commitment to reducing geographic disparities so that a patient’s chances of survival do not depend on where they live.

The Department recognises that treatment waiting times vary significantly across the country, including in some rural areas, and we are determined to change this. We will tackle this variation head on by streamlining access to cutting-edge treatments and increasing the cancer workforce in trusts that most need it, including in rural areas.

The National Cancer Plan sets out policies specifically developed to tackle geographic inequalities in cancer care, including improved data transparency on the quality of care and performance of trusts and the use of training places in rural areas to address higher vacancy rates. It will shift healthcare from hospitals to the community and ensure that all cancer patients, regardless of where they live, have timely access to high-quality, specialist cancer services.