Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the support for travel costs for children and young people with cancer introduced in the National Cancer Plan for England will be for England only or whether support will also be available for those in other nations, who may travel to England for some or all of their care; and whether any Barnett consequentials will arise from this funding.

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families across the United Kingdom.

Through the National Cancer Plan for England, the Government is committing up to £10 million a year to a new fund open to all children and young people in England with cancer and their families regardless of income, to support them with the cost of travelling to and from treatment. This commitment sits alongside wider action to transform cancer care for children and young people. The Department is currently working with its partners to define the scope and parameters of the scheme and further detail will be announced in due course.

Health is predominately devolved. Devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett Formula, and it is ultimately for them to allocate, prioritise, and manage their budgets. This funding is not new and so Barnett consequentials do not apply. However, the Department does work closely with our counterparts in the devolved governments to share expertise and identify new opportunities to improve health and social care delivery across the UK.