Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce levels of bowel cancer in England.

NHS England are extending the age of the eligible cohort for bowel cancer screening in line with the National Health Service Long Term Plan commitment and the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendations approved by ministers. This will allow for the early detection and treatment of cancer or polyps that could develop into cancer.

Additionally, the Government aims to reduce obesity rates, which increase people’s risk of developing bowel cancer. We have introduced new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, which came into force in April 2022. Further regulations restricting the location of products high in fat, salt, or sugar in key selling locations in store and online came into force on 1 October 2022.