CANCER (REPORTING AND STRATEGY) BILL SECOND READING
Near-live transcript. Not the official record.
Automatic speech recognition of this debate. Verify wording against the official report in Hansard before quoting. When Hansard publishes, about three hours after the House rises, the text below is replaced by the official record.
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Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I beg to move that the Bill now be read a second time. At its heart, this Bill is about a simple principle. If the Government makes commitments on cancer, Parliament and the public should be able to assess whether those commitments are being delivered.
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should be able to assess whether those commitments are being delivered. Cancer affects almost every family in this country.
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Cancer affects almost every family in this country. Nearly one in two people will receive a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.
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Moore than 403,000 people are now
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And the number of cases
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during their lifetime, and the number of cases continues to rise. More than 403,000 people are now diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK. That's around 1,100 diagnoses every day, or one person every 80 seconds.
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every day, or one person every 80 seconds. For those people, and for the families who support them, cancer...
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For those people and for the families who support them, cancer policy is not an abstract debate.It is about whether diagnoses are made early enough.
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are made early enough, whether treatment starts quickly enough, whether people survive, and whether people can live well after
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well after Cancer
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Yes.
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I thank the hon. Member for giving way and I thank him for bringing this important debate to the House. I wanted to just emphasise his point that early diagnosis is so important when it comes to cancer. My mother-in-law had an early
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early diagnosis and had 12 years of living with cancer and living well with cancer. Yet my father-in-law had a late diagnosis and only had 12 weeks. Does he think that this absolutely states the importance of...
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absolutely states the importance of early diagnosis in order to have to be able to deal with cancer and to have a life while living with cancer.
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I thank the Honourable Member for her intervention. She is absolutely right. Early, early diagnosis...
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I went back. I saw a different GP.
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straight away.
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The test happened very quickly after
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from my hon. Friend
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Malik plans.
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Seventy-four test. If I'd have waited another six months, I
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having to have two operations and
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really matters. The National
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Hants and Plan contain
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important ambitions and
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The Government has committed to monitoring delivery through national oversight structures, including the National Cancer Board, and
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will be taken when progress falls behind schedule.
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My bill addresses those gaps.
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It would require annual reporting to Parliament on
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maintain a strategy for improving cancer outcomes
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diagnosing and treating cancer, and it would require the Government to publish and maintain a strategy for improving cancer outcomes. Nothing more, nothing radical, simply transparency, scrutiny and accountability. The bill is supported by 64 cancer charities...
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simply transparency, scrutiny and accountability. The Bill is supported by 64 cancer charities with millions of supporters. Those 64...
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The bill is supported by 64 cancer charities with millions of supporters. Those 64 cancer charities have written to the Secretary of State urging her to support this bill. Their message is clear. They state the bill...
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urging her to support this Bill. Their message is clear. They state the Bill is practical, proportionate and uncontroversial.
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Message is clear.
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scrutiny and accountability. The Bill is supported by 64 cancer charities, with millions of supporters. Those 64 cancer charities have written to the Secretary of State urging her to support this Bill. Their message is clear. They state: "The Bill is practical, proportionate and uncontroversial. It creates no new rights or entitlements, but instead provides a clear means for reporting progress and maintaining focus on delivery." These charities go on to say that it represents an invaluable opportunity to underpin the ambitions of the national cancer plan and demonstrate a long-term commitment to
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to improving outcomes
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a cancer patients
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When organisations representing patients,
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The need for greater accountability is informed by experience.
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We have learned that without transparency and scrutiny, commitments made today can disappear tomorrow.
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posed 10-year cancer planWhen the Secretary of State declared a war
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cancer plan, when their Secretary of State declared a war on cancer. Thousands of people contributed to that process.
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2022 on the Conservatives' proposed 10-year cancer plan, when their Secretary of State declared a war on cancer. Thousands of people contributed to that process, including patients, charities, NHS staff and researchers. Then less than a year later, following yet another change of Secretary of State, the plan was abandoned. Years of engagement were lost. Time...
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of people contributed to that process.
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Is the engagement a loss?Time was lost, momentum was lost, and hope was wasted.
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Mann people affected by cancer were left wondering what had happened to the promises that they had been
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So it happened again.
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Steff Aquarone.
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people affected by cancer need confidence...
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to happen again. Madam Deputy Speaker, people affected by cancer need confidence that commitments made today will survive the political changes of tomorrow. Perhaps this is a good point to remind the House that we have had
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that we have had seven Prime Ministers and nine Secretaries of State for Health.
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had seven Prime Ministers and nine Secretaries of State for Health since 2015. This Bill helps provide that confidence.
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This bill helps provide that confidence.
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I know some have questioned whether legislation is Yes, I'm happy to give
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Apologies, I thank the hon. Member for giving way, and I just wondered if he shared my delight to see the former Minister who wrote theappointed as the national cancer plan adviser and that shows how how seriously this government
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not you, the hon. Member for Suttie.
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Thank you very much for your intervention.
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Thank you very much for your intervention. I absolutely think that the
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West Lancashire did a fantastic job in producing the national cancer plan and I'm very pleased that she has been appointed to the national cancer board.I still think that the government should be supporting this bill.
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I know that some people have questioned whether the legislation is necessary. I respectfully
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21 of the national cancer plan already commits the government to report
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agree.
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democracy. It does not require extensive new structures. It does not create
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is already intended to be collected.
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create significant additional work for civil servants. The information is already intended to be collected. The Bill simply requires that the Secretary of State report that information to Parliament, so that Members of this House can scrutinise progress on behalf of the people that we represent. If the Government is confident in its plans, and confident
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If the government is confident in its plans and confident in its delivery,
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Why would they object to reporting transparency on that progress?
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Cancer affects every constituency in this country. It affectsacross England. Those affected by cancer often feel that they do
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have a voice. This bill gives Parliament the opportunity to speak for them.
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I raised this bill with the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on the 21st of October. In response, he told me that he would ask the
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to consider the accountability and reporting measures contained within
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I welcome that response.
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We've heard nothing from the National Council Board. The Prime Minister has also said that there has always been somebody who puts his shoulder behind the fight against Cancer.A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister sat down on Gogglebox supporting cancer patients.Today was an opportunity for him to stand up for cancer patients and support my Bull
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stand up for cancer patients and support my bill. This legislation provides an opportunity to demonstrate that commitment in practice. There is another important reason why accountability matters. The National Cancer Plan is the first cancer plan...
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legislation provides an opportunity to demonstrate
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National Cancer Plan is the first cancer plan to contain a dedicated chapter on children and young people's cancer.
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and young people's cancer.
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That is a really important step forward, but progress must be measured if those commitments are to endure.
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The plan itself recognises that its wider ambitions will only be achieved if meaningful progress is made for
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will only be achieved if meaningful progress is made for children and for young people with cancer. Yet teenagers and young ag- young adults are too often hidden within broader datasets, despite facing distinct challenges around diagnosis
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too often hidden within broader datasets, despite facing distinct challenges around diagnosis, treatment, long-term side effects and psychological support.
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the psychological support
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long-term side effects and psychological support.
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honourable member for giving way. Is he aware that the Science, Innovation and Tech Committee has launched an inquiry, is launching an inquiry on the fact that we have many younger people now being diagnosed with cancer?
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welcome this so we understand more clearly why so many younger people are now experiencing cancer.
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I should have intervention and yes, absolutely welcome the fact that they are going to be looking at this. With transparent
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that they are going to be looking at this. Without transparent reporting and meaningful age-specific data, it becomes difficult to understand whether outcomes for younger patients are improving, where inequalities persist, and whether policy interventions are working.
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transparent reporting and meaningful age-specific data...
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working
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Annual reporting can help ensure that children and young people are not
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overlooked in future strategies and that progress continues to be monitored for this important patient group.
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is particularly importantbecause current progress is not where it needs to be.Recent analysis by Cancer Research UK paints a concerning picture.
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The charity estimates that nearly 1.1 million people will begin cancer treatment following an urgent referral between March 2026 and March
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current trends suggest that the government's commitment
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for 85% of patients to begin treatment within 62 days by March 2029 may not be achieved on time.
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in order to meet
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Those figures should concern all of us.
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is not simply a matter of statistics.
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weeks affair
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for cancer treatment is not simply a matter of statistics. It is weeks of uncertainty, weeks of fear, weeks of wondering whether the cancer is progressing whilst patients and families wait for answers. All this, Madam Deputy
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All this, Madam Deputy Speaker, can be extremely stressful for patients and families.
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patients and families. I know from my own experience when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago.
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target. Those figures should concern all of us. Waiting for cancer treatment is not simply a matter of statistics. It is weeks of uncertainty, weeks of fear, weeks of wondering whether the cancer is progressing whilst patients and families wait for answers. All this, Madam Deputy Speaker, can be extremely stressful for patients and families. I know from my own experience when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago. Cancer Research UK analysis suggests that the Government still has an opportunity to get performance back on track, but only if there is sustained focus and sufficient resource directed towards cancer services. The next spending review will be an important opportunity to demonstrate that commitment. The reality is that accountability drives delivery. What gets measured gets managed. What gets reported gets discussed. And what gets discussed is more likely to improve. There is also a broader challenge...
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And what gets discussed is more likely to improve. There is also a broader challenge. More people than ever are surviving cancer or living with cancer. That is something for us all to celebrate. Madam Deputy Speaker...
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The debate must now be adjourned.
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something for us all to celebrate. Madam Deputy Speaker, the Government has set an ambition that by 2035, three-quarters...
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for us all to celebrate. Madam Deputy Speaker, the government has set an ambition that by 2035, three quarters of people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free or living well with cancer five years after their diagnosis.
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or living well with cancer five years after their diagnosis. That is a fantastic ambition. But achieving it will
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That is a fantastic ambition. But achieving it will require sustained progress across the entire cancer pathway from prevention
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pause
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Andrew Happily give way. I thank the Member for giving way. I welcome his highlighting of the need to reduce waits for treatment and note his personal comments about his own personal treatment.
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I also welcome his focus on the reporting of cancer treatment data, but would he agree with me that the National Cancer Plan will greatly assist us in improving
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I thank...
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Order. Before the...
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the Chair Benches will know that you are each of you are speaking through the Chair, so when it's you and your, you're responding to me, but obviously you're
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is absolutely essential.
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If we are to understand whether ambition is being realised, it will help identify where performance is improving, where it is falling behind and where action is needed.
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friend for giving way. He's giving a very powerful speech that really is bringing forward some of the real...
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given way. He's given a very powerful speech that really is bringing forward some of the real, um, emotional impacts of cancer. But does he agree with me that there's an economic argument to be made here?
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If people are diagnosed more quickly, if people are get treatment more quickly, then they're more likely to be able to return to the workplace.
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I thank my honourable friend for her
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I thank my honourable friend for her intervention, and she is absolutely right.
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That earlier intervention does help people get back into the workforce faster. It helps families get back
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absolutely right
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Madam Deputy Speaker, this bill does not ask the government to adopt a new cancer strategy. It does
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party political point
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It does not impose unrealistic
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obligations on ministers or officials
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It does not impose unrealistic obligations on Ministers or officials. It simply asks that Parliament and the people that we represent are given a clear account of progress against the commitments that the Government has already made. The Bill is uncontroversial and the Government has not given any reasons why this Bill should not be supported.
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given any reasons why this Bill should not be supported. The charities support this Bill. Patients support this Bill.
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I want to thank my honourable friend for working on and for introducing this Bill and giving way. He is quite right to highlight that national charities across the board support this Bill, including Walk the Walk from Wokingham...
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including Walk the Walk from Woking. They want the national cancer strategy and the Government to lower breast screening...
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charity. I did a walk with them this year and there is another walk
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next year on the 15th of May and perhaps members might want to join me on that. Before Covid, they always had quite a number ofPlease join the walls.
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Absolutely valid.
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In my view, rejecting this bill is a mistake.
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Bill is a mistake. A mistake for the Prime Minister, a mistake for the Secretary of State. Rejecting the Bill will mean that the Prime Minister's warm words are sadly just that, words. Cancer patients deserve more.
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Cancer patients deserve more than promises. They deserve transparency, they deserve accountability, and they deserve confidence that
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words
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that: words. Cancer patients deserve more.
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The question is that the Bill be now read a Second time.
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The question is that the bill be now read a second time. It's very tight and I can't set time limits, so if colleagues were to speak for around five minutes I can
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Squeeze in a few more members. Dr. Scott Arthur.Madam Deputy Speaker, and I want to start with a slight aside.
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and girls have been really moving really moving for me and amazing leadership through you through a thank you thank you. Right, back to
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families affected by
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This bill as presented aims to turn that vision into reality, or at least help to do so. It puts cancer patientsis hard and creates a new era of transparency and accountability, ensuring
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So I do thank the Member for Wokingham for presenting it today.
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Good intentions are matched by my
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It strongly supports the ambitions already set out in the national cancer plan, in particular it reinforce
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reinforces action 14, which recognises that greater transparency drives improvement, and action 21, which commits the National Cancer Board...
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Act 14 which recognizes
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commits the national cancer board to reporting annually on progress and carrying out a comprehensive review every three years. So I expect, I accept, as the Member for Wokingham has already outlined, that we don't need a statutory footing for this, and I hope Labour remains in power for the rest of the 10 years or almost 10 years of the plan, but I do worry some other government might not take this cancer plan quite so seriously. So I think this is why it's important that we do look at the statutory...
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which commits the national cancer board...
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it's important that we do look at the statutory need for reporting. But this isn't just about plans, targets...
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As Members of Parliament, many many of us have attended the receptions, posed for photographs and heard about the
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Move us. They are asking us to take a small but important step by supporting this bill.Do I have to declare an interest because I'm wearing my Cancer Research UK tie today, which was givento to me, so I'm I'm very grateful for this.
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I do have to reflect that this week I did go to awhich is focused on
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event I met a young woman...
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a young woman who is living with myeloma and I met another young woman whose father died last year
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a wife, a son, a daughter, a friend
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Those 64 charities speak for them. Indeed, they speak for all of us because
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Statistically, one in two of us will receive a cancer diagnosis during our lifetime. Cancer
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every constituency, every community and almost every family in this country.And these charities do more than just speak for patients; together they fund more cancer research than the government.
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I ask, this is a modest proposal. It does not ask for
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and new spending, at least I hope not, Madam Deputy Speaker.
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it honestly and hold ourselves accountable for the outcomes that matter to patients. If we're serious about getting cancer...
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I don't doubt that we are, and if we are serious about improving outcomes for the millions of people affected by cancer, then we should support this bill.
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serious about getting Cancer back on track. If we're serious about delivering on the ambitions of the National
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But I do understand some of the reservations that people do have and I hope that can be explored further.
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today, and if not, I hope at the very least we can make it to the committee stage, because I think there is
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We should take seriously that so many of these charities are supporting this bill.
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.4 minutes and 50 seconds, colleagues will appreciate that. Vicky Slade.
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working for bringing forward this bill on behalf of all thosecommunities who are living with cancer, like my dad, Ray Wills, who has stage 4 metastasised prostate cancer.
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but he's refusing to let his prognosis reduce his approach to life, grabbing each day, tiring us all out with hisenergy, his sporting prowess and his positivity. He is truly standing up to Cancer. But this bill is also
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that we have cancer. This impacts every family, and an annual report will ensure that this remains at the front of the minds of Ministers and civil servants, holding them to account to improve outcomes and giving
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giving hope to those who see improvements on the horizons, but worry that they'll be denied access to treatments that buy them more time. So I want to talk to the issue of survival rates as detailed in line 15 and the work of the National Cancer Audits. Whilst I strongly welcome the strategy, of course...
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course and the expanded national cancer audits, there does appear to be a gap in their stated aims in
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audits, there does appear to be a gap in their stated aims in relation to emerging treatments. are available elsewhere in the world but are not being fast-tracked here. My constituents Nigel, Lara and Sandra are just three of many
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who have been denied access to these emerging treatments despite in some cases having been given them on a limited basis because of ongoing
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situations where young parents or much loved
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the risks to their own health or capacity to manage their symptoms to
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queue for second or third degree cancers or those that are so rare they don't have active UK trials.
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progress a widely used cure or
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they don't have active UK trials. Nigel has stage four pancreatic cancer and has explained to me that when the second line chemotherapy stops working, he will have no UK options left. He explained to me that
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He explained to me that the FDA in America approved a drug called duraxan duraxanrazib for use thissummer, but the projected
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He will have no UK options left.
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summer, but the projected timeline for UK approval is 2028, and he said, "I will be dead by then."
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He explained that his children are now looking at how they can fundraise to send their dad to America.
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America and ask me why the UK can't create a rapid pathway with waivers signed by people willing tothe risk. After all, their alternative is certain death.Lara has eye cancer which has led to tumours in her liver, and whilst NICE recognises that there is a significant unmet need for patients given that this is a typical presentation
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Patients can only access Chemosat under special arrangements. She knows that our attempts to help
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typical presentation for her condition, patients can only access chemosat under special arrangements. She knows that our attempts to help her will probably come too late, but ensuring that a plan is—must be published with progress across a range of rare cancers, research and survival rates could at least offer hope to those who come after her. And Sandra and her family face the same issue where her cancer has spread to her kidneys and where the treatment enfortumab has been available in the US for years and was finally, finally approved this summer for NHS use. Imagine the family's joy, Madam Deputy Speaker, having spent thousands of pounds a week keeping her on the treatment for many, many months. But her daughter told me, I am totally aghast that something is finally available which is potentially my mum's last remaining option, but it is not being funded.
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potentially my mum's last remaining option, but it's only available for first-line treatment, despite having been successful
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on Health (Cancer Strategy)
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This family is now considering selling their family home to fund treatment.
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just is ridiculous and therefore I would urge
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we can reassure our residents, our families, that the progress
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the Minister to look at bringing this in so
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On year on year, they can see the goal getting closer.And can I just send Nigel, Lara and Sandra my best wishes? Because, Madam Deputy Speaker,I know that colleagues around the Chamber will have similar stories and that the experience of my residents are not unique, which is why accepting that need for a report every year setting out metricsAgainst the plan and detailing the investment in research is so important. The government has made a great start. the strategy, but without a mechanism to report it annually, it does risk drift and it does risk a future government deprioritising or changing direction, so I urge the governmentto support this bill.
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If only we had a pharmacist in the Chamber that could help with pronunciations. Lee Pitcher.
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Deputy Speaker. Head and heart, Madam Deputy Speaker, that's what it's all about. My head says I shouldn't be saying what I'm going to say in a second, but my heart tells me that I absolutely can. So if I could swear in the Chamber today, I know what I would be telling cancer to do. If I could signpost to cancer from the Chamber with my hands, I know what message I would like to send. However, in this Chamber, I will say it in a way that works for this place.
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in a way that works for this place. Sometime, a guest will arrive uninvited. It will outstay its welcome...
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a guest will arrive uninvited. It will outstay its welcome, and it will not take the hint to leave. And to that particular visitor, who turns up nowadays to almost one in two people's lives, your departure...
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Visitor who turns up nowadays
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Your departure is long overdue. We will find a way to kick you out, and I'll
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to be taken seriously.
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And I do thank the hon. Member for Wokingham for championing this bill.
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When this private members' bill was listed today, things like screening and
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Woburn Sands
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A person, not a number.
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It was goodbye to the final time the week before last after a lengthy battle.
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Peter, my best friend of 20 years.
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A fiercely independent hero of mine, with a thirst for life, a love of his family, especially son Noah.
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So if he was here now, he would talk to you, as we did nearly every day for a number of weeks over the lastAnd hetalk to you about regular surveillance and follow-ups, about the importance of symptoms and
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And a weird love for West Ham Seven.
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for help at home and work adjustments
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I've also seen what's in there around accountability, but I've also looked at other governmental work on cancer. Madam Deputy Speaker,
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When I look at this bill today,
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I've reviewed the national cancer plan and what it includes, and it does include a structured governance reporting and clinical data framework to monitor the various measures that
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we are trying to take
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Moore than that, it also covers all of those things that I discuss with Peter on a regular basis: treatment and clinical care, skills and training, personalised
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Cancer plans.
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So I will push to make sure that the national cancer plan is implemented in full. I will take on board all of those things around accountability that I mentioned in this plan. as we go forwards.But this But the national care plan does
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horrible horrible message once every 85 seconds in England that
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I miss you.
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I will fight in your memory to ensure that this government does all it must for everyone who has lost a Peter out there. And I know that you'll be with me together all the way and together
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Move each for the stars.
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Mr. Pitcher, you've done a great service to your friend Peter.
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Adam Thomson.
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just now, but I want to thank the hon. Member for Wokingham as well for bringing forward this Bull and to recognise the very genuine concern for cancer patients and their families that sits behind it.
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we've just heard about my dear friend friend Peter and his loss there.
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anxiety of waiting for treatment are among thedifficult moments they will ever face. I think we can all agree, Madam Deputy Speaker, when someone receives that diagnosis, they deserve the bestthat our NHS is able to provide. That person deserves to be able to get the diagnoses as early as they
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many families a diagnosis, the uncertainty of waiting for results and
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everything possible is being done to give them the best chance of recovery. Those are objectives that we can all wholeheartedly support.
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achieve those objectives, and I'm not sure, Madam Deputy Speaker, that we necessarily do. The Government
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issues raised by the hon. Member for Wokingham, particularly around
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diagnosis and tackling the equalities that exist in cancer care. It's a
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commitment with the ambition of reducing the number of lives lost to cancer over the next decade. And importantly,
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to see whether my hon. Friend agrees with me that the national cancer plan also takes that important step of acknowledging the specific actions needed aroundchild cancer and certainly I
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a local charity of mine, Millie Smiles, has welcomed the steps in the cancer plan and the specific elements that
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I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention, Madam Deputy Speaker, and certainly I agree with her. She makes a profoundly important point. It's acommitment, that cancer plan, with the ambition of reducing the number of lives lost to cancer over the next decade.
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including key metrics and targets.
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Importantly, I think the
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bill today would introduce additional statutory requirements for annual reporting and a 10-year cancer strategy. We already have
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The government is not simply setting out
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that passing additional legislation, which overlaps with these existing commitments, is necessarily the best way to deliver better out
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quickly. They want to know that When cancer is diagnosed, treatment will follow promptly without endless waits or unnecessary delays, and they
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the NHS is going to be there for them when they need it the most. That's what matters matters to patients andfamilies. We should be concentrating, Madam Deputy Speaker, onimplementing the National Cancer Plan, strengthening the NHS's ability to deliver cancer care, and ensuring that the improvements we have committed to actually reach patients.
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on how many strategies we publish or how many reporting requirements that we introduce will be judged on whether people
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they receive treatment faster, and whether inequalities are reduced and whether people—whether more people survive cancer. That's the Government's...
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that they receive treatment faster.
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receive their diagnoses earlier,
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Madam Deputy Speaker. It's a pleasure to follow the Honourable Member for Erewash, who made a very thoughtful speech.
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Every...
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Everyone in this House agrees that cancer touches every family in this country. And I am, and therefore share the concerns that have motivated the Honourable Member for Wokingham to
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share the concerns that have motivated the hon. Member for Wokingham to
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We all want to see earlier diagnosis, faster
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and better survival rates. However, while I understand thebehind this bill, I'm not convinced that creating further statutory reporting requirements is the answer.Because earlier this year the government had has published its national cancer care plan, which is a comprehensive 10-year strategy to transform cancer outcomes, and its ambition is that by 20three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free or living well beyond five years after diagnosis, helping to save an estimated 320,000 additional lives. Vere quickly,
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How about the one that might come after that? What if they don't want to take cancer seriously?
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But your plan that should go forward to whoever comes next and I'm sure the hon. Gentlemanin this place can raise a private member's bill again to have that that plan changed. Um, we know that um as the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham and someone who has personally
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and Darlington Hospital Trust. Independent reviews exposed serious failures and clinical oversight,governance and decision-making. Women underwent unnecessary procedures, including mastectomies, while many others experienced avoidable harm, and I've met a number ofwas women affected and work closely with them. Their stories are heartbreaking, but their bravery is breathtaking.
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And I want to pay particular tribute to the campaigners in the Pink Justice Network. Their motto is, Alone we survive, but together
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thrive. Their courage and determination have ensured that the failures cannot be swept under the carpet.
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I want to formally recognize Amelia, Jackie, Nadine and Rachel.
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Their experiences remind us that cancer care is simply not about waiting times and treatment targets, it's about safety, dignity, accountability and above alllistening to patients, and the lessons from County Durham must never be forgotten. The women affected deserve
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that have helped fillsome of the gaps in diagnosis. In particular, I want to thank the Durham district prostate cancer group. Les and his team have organizedPSA testing events help in identifying men at risk of prostate cancer.
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Steff Aquarone that they are referred for further tests and support
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to their work. I think ultimately the true test of any cancer strategy is not how many reports it produces
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more people survive cancer, receive treatment sooner and have confidence that in the care that they receive. For those reasons, while I dowholeheartedly support the objectives of improving cancer outcomes and transparency.I don't believe this bill is necessary giventhe substantial cancer
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cancer plan and the existing reporting commitments that we have, so I will therefore oppose this Bull, but
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I will continue to work with the member and the Cancer APPG and
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patients and ministers and campaigners to secure safer services
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Damian Hinds.
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colleagues across the House, I would just say it was a particular privilege to be here to hear the hon. Member
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A month ago, the hon. Member for Wokingham and I were both at a breast cancercampaign event at which one of the themes was inequalities in breast cancer care, particularly among underrepresented communities. breast cancer patients and men. It was good to hear from him on that occasion. He draws on his experience to contributevery effectively to raising awareness about breast cancer in men, but also, as today, about all cancers and the issues around them.There were a number of important initiatives under the time of the last government including the use of community diagnostic centres, thethe introduction of the lung health screening programme subsequently expanded to become the National
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The major clinical trial initiated with Prostate Cancer UKon testing screening approaches for detecting prostate cancer and the launch in February 2020
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of the Children and Young People's Cancer Taskforce.
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Now, as the hon. Member for Erewash said, few things can unite this House as strongly as the fight againstCancer and when the national cancer plan was published in February 2026, the Oppositionwelcomed the aims in it to improve survival and outcomes.
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Vere briefly.
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The Shadow Minister for Tech and Innovation, we actually share a university hospitalthemselves, and while the targets are woefully out, what
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Would he agree with me that it's not because of the staff and would heI'd like to thank particularly ward matrons Gagan Mohindra and Rebecca Harris who do a fantastic job. supporting our cancer patients.
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I'm very grateful to the noble Lady for giving me the opportunity to give those
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on the on on the national cancer plan, we also my my right hon. Friend the Member for Daventry then
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Secretary of State raised questions about how the ambitions will be realised and called for a fullyfunded long-term workforce plan alongside clear and funded milestones showing how and when patients will see the improvement.
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that plan. And yesterday we had the most recent
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The focus needs to be on that.
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performance statistics from the from the National Health Service. It was a difficult set of statistics.
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And on the cancer standards, all three measures, the faster diagnosis
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month on month. Cancer Research UK's analysisalso shows that there's this discrepancy in diagnosis between those in diagnosis time between those
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treatment standard deteriorated
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who ultimately are found to be clear of cancer and those who who have cancer and rightly call for a particularfocus on that. Their analysis also shows that it was breast cancer referrals that saw the biggest drop in performance.
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honorable gentleman's bill
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Uh
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and it is absolutely right that ministers need to focus on, need to need to be acting on the entirea pathway from risk factors such as smoking and obesity, waiting times,
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young people's cancer screening, investment and research.
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and the key metrics around earlier diagnosis. He is right about all of those things and thekey thing is to get them is to get them done and to make real progress. I know he agrees
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With that, I know time is short, Madam Deputy Speaker, and we need to hear from the Minister about how she can reassurein the House on those points. I hope she will also be able to give us an update today about the health workforce plan, the long-awaited workforce plan, which underpin
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many different aspects in the NHS, and I conclude by commending once again the hon. Gentleman the Member for Wokingham for allhe has done and is doing and for bringing this to the floor of the House today.The Minister, Alison McGovern. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I must congratulate the hon. Member for Wokingham for bringing this bill forward today. I was 12 when my dad was first diagnosedcancer, and I was 29 and standing for election to this House for the first time when he had his most recent major cancer treatment. And as the House knows, my
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period of serious illness,
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73. So, I like to think that when it comes to experience of this disease, I am no ignoramus, Madam Deputy Speaker.
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And we've heard from colleagues just how important this issue is to all of us in this House. And I know colleagues will welcome the progressthat we have made.
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welcome to the Government's cancer plan. We've seen around 290,000 more people over the last 12 months have had cancerdiagnosed or ruled out within 28 days, and the number of patients who received treatment within 62 days of referral is up 70% over the last 12
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as colleagues right across the House have
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Madam Deputy Speaker, I am under no illusion about the work still to do.
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and the urgency that patients rightly expect from this government. Vere briefly, Madam Deputy Speaker.
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I thank my right hon. Friend for giving way and Imyself with her. Thanks tomy near neighbour the Member for Wokingham who has done important workcampaigning on cancer and I thank him for it. I also think a key part of our
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£1,50026 miles in the London Shine Knight Walk.
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I'd like to thank my friend for that intervention. Of course, fundraisingis really important. Thanks to Steven. I hope that he's enjoyed the debate so far. He's done a great thing.
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I've paid close attention to what the Member for Wokingham has said today, and as I said, Madam Deputy Speaker,Colleagues on all sides are listening with sympathetic ears. All of us want our constituents to have earlier cancer diagnosis and better treatment and to improve patient experience, making
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that the progress we're making in the NHS, as he points out, as it should be transparent and accountable. And while I share his ambition, I'm sorry to say that the governmentis not able to support his Bull because we don't think its provisions are necessary.
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Ultimately, the hon. Gentleman's Bull—I'll just make a little bit of progress and then I will bring him in. Ultimately, the hon. Gentleman's Bull rests on two principles: that there should be a clear national strategy for improving canceroutcomes and that the government should be transparent about the progress we are making.
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I thank the Minister for giving way. Will she arrange for the charities who have
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I've tabled this bill myself to see the Minister who is going to be responsible for the national cancer plan so that wework together to ensure that there is
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I feel sure that the Minister who is responsible for this area of policy will be arranging such meetings. I will make him availablecopy of this debate and he can read for himself how important it is. Um, but I would say in a supportive way to the hon. Gentleman, we now have a cancer strategy that will improveof the next 10 years, and that I hope colleagues will also recognise that we have been unflinchingly honest about the scale of the challenge that we face. We will always do so. We can't sugar-coat the current situation that we face, even while we all
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We have a ten-year national cancer plan to make England a world leader in cancer outcomes, and it's very important that it succeeds. It's a plan that setsmore than a hundred out actions to improve cancer survival, increase earlier diagnosis, recover performance against waiting time standards and toimprove the quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer. We published this plan in February of this year, and starting on its first anniversary, Madam Deputy Speaker,We will publish an annual report that will measure our progress against each of these targets every year. This will be freely available online and accessible to all, and at the end of three years, we will also publish a complete and honest account of what we have got right. and where we need to go further. And when it comes to improving the plan, no options are off the table. And I want to express my sincere thanksto our friend the hon. Member for West Lancashire
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she has agreed to rejoin us as an advisor on the National Cancer Plan's implementation. She knows that how important it is that we get this right, and she's already done some pretty inspirational
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But I know she would be the first to say that wherever the plan is falling short, we should and we will improve it. So it's not a question of creating
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new legislation or statutory requirements, when we have a cancer plan and our priority should be to crack on with the job. And while we get on on on with that job, I welcome scrutiny from the hon. Gentlemanand from all of the members of this place as they rightly hold the government to account. Accountability is already being built into the way that we deliver the plan. For example, in September we followed through
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commitment to establish a new National Cancer Board, bringing together leaders from across the cancer community to set strategic direction, give independent challenge and make surewe are keeping up momentum towards our goals. A few weeks ago, the hon. Gentleman, as he mentioned, asked the Prime Minister to look at his proposal, and his suggestion was shared with the National Cancer Board, and I can update the House today that the board
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Every Member, we would not expect them to agree on this issue. Some Members have noted support for the bill and its ambitions to put cancer strategy and report
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the statutory footing where others have concerns and worry that creating a parallel statutory framework could duplicate the national cancer plan, cause confusion for patients and the public and create additional reportingrequirements without necessarily improving delivery. Board members though share a clear expectation that reporting on the National Cancer Plan mustprovide a transparent account of progress, including where delivery is off track and importantly what action is being taken to get it back on track and the Government agrees.
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exactly what I'll very briefly, Madam Deputy Speaker, with
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On On that note of being on track with Thank the Minister for the intervention. Will she look at the recruitment elements and issues around cancer specialists, particularlycoastal towns or coastal cities like mine in Portsmouth.
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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Recruitment is very important, as she says, and I'm sure that the Minister with responsibility for thewill look at that. Our plan, our commitment to publish an annual report on progress against the national cancer plan is intended to deliver these insights intothe plan is off track and to help spur action to address any problems.
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The hon. Gentleman has recognised this commitment, but I understand that he is worried about what a future government might do to might choose to
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stop these annual reports. Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, as you will know, even if today's bill is passed, a future government, if they were so intent on ceasing the annual reports, a simple vote could
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what the hon. Gentleman seeks to do in his Bull, just as, for example, commitments that were made in law on child poverty
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But we have listened carefully to the wider point he is making about accountability.Following the views of the National Cancer Board, we are strengthening our approach further. We have taken on board suggestions from Macmillan and from Cancer52 that the annual National Cancer Plan progress report should not simply be published but should be laid beforeParliament and accompanied by an oral statement from the Secretary of State, and we will make that further commitment. And I hope that it reassures the hon. Gentleman that we share his determination toensure Parliament can scrutinise our progress and hold us to account. Now, Madam Deputy Speaker, the national cancer plan was written by a collective of people who care about this
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that takes action across the whole pathway. We're supporting the NHS to transform diagnostic services through £1.65 billion worth of spending, including new surgical hubs and state-of-the-artdiagnostic scan scanners and just last week we announced that a world-leading new cancer blood test trial is being launched across at least 200 GPin England. We've invested 70 million into new cutting-edge radiotherapy machines, and exciting progress has been made on research, with the cancer vaccines launchpad having been
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very close to my heart and does world-leading research. We are also delivering commitments to improve quality and consistency of care. TheCollege of Physicians and Macmillan Cancer Support have recently published what's called a clinical consensus statement on acute and supportive oncology, establishing a common
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is committing up to £10 million a year to a new fund to help with the cost of travelling to and from principal treatment
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for reasons that will be obvious to Members, and we're giving rare accounts the dedicated attention and leadership they deserve. We've appointedto Robert Metcalfe as national clinical lead for rare cancers, giving patients a powerful voice and clinical leadership, and includes renewing our focus on brain
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