Ashley Dalton MP: speeches

Speeches

• 3 Jul 2025 · NHS 10-Year Plan · Hansard source

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  It was not causation.

• 2 Jul 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West on his Bill reaching Committee stage. That is a huge achievement for any colleague, but especially for one who has served in this place for almost exactly a year to the day. The Government welcome contributions from Back Benchers, we welcome effective scrutiny from Committees, and we value the vital role that Parliament plays in holding us to account. In April, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that clinical trials would be fast-tracked to accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future. Through this new drive, patients will have improved access to new treatments and technologies. We see the Bill as contributing to that ambition. We want to go further for patients with rare cancers, and this legislation will act to incentivise recruitment, oversight and accessibility of rare cancer research, so that NHS patients are at the front of the queue for cutting-edge treatments. Clause 1 will ensure our regulatory competitiveness. It places a duty on the Government to publish a review of the legislation around orphan drugs within three years of the Bill becoming an Act. The review will examine our legal framework and compare our approach to that of our international partners. We want the UK to lead the world in this space, as the prime destination for clinical research. Clause 2 will raise the profile of research for rare cancers by placing a new duty on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to facilitate and otherwise promote research in this area. The Government want to give patients greater choice and control over their healthcare, and rare cancer patients should have access to research if they choose. The clause also ensures that the Government will develop a bespoke registry service for rare cancers, to be delivered through the “Be Part of Research” programme—our groundbreaking research registry service provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research—and that we will appoint a national specialty lead for rare cancers, which we will designate within the NIHR research delivery network, who will have oversight of the overall rare cancer studies portfolio in England. The Government are committed to going further for rare cancer patients, and that means making clinical trials more accessible. Clause 3 will introduce an innovative solution to allow rare cancer patients to be contacted as quickly as possible about clinical research. The clause creates a new power to allow patient data to be shared from NHS England information systems.

• 2 Jul 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill · Hansard source

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  I can confirm that the overall objective of the whole cancer plan will be saving lives and reducing the number of lives lost to cancer, including rare cancers. The plan will be published later this year. It is important to note that the Bill is specific to cancer; there will be opportunities to discuss other rare conditions in the future. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West for presenting the Bill, and I pay tribute to the charities that are backing him, some of which I had the pleasure to meet recently to discuss further how the Government can better support people with rare cancers. Together, we will improve outcomes for people across our country, and I look forward to working with everybody to get that done.

• 2 Jul 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on the launch of the trial in her sister’s name. We do want to see more research and trials coming forward, particularly for rare cancers. She will be aware of the consortium that the Department has developed to work directly with the brain tumour community in particular, to improve the quality and number of research trials that come forward for funding.

• 2 Jul 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill · Hansard source

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  I should clarify that there is no regional specificity in the allocation of research funding. We welcome all funding bids for research on cancer and rare cancers from anywhere in the country, and I encourage them to come forward. The new power in clause 3 to allow patient data from NHS England information systems to be shared will allow more patients to be contacted about existing trials. Practically, it will allow us to join up data from the national disease registration service with “Be Part of Research”. As I have said, we are encouraging people to bring forward more research proposals, all of which are considered. For the first time, patients with a rare cancer could be automatically contacted about research opportunities that are relevant to them and offered innovative new treatments, which means rare cancer patients could have access to research at their fingertips. That is the kind of change that the Government support as part of the shift we are making from analogue to digital—one of the three shifts that will be covered in the 10-year plan that will be launched tomorrow, when more details will become clear. Clause 4 covers the Bill’s territorial extent. Due to practical and legal differences between the nations, the devolved Governments did not wish to legislate in their individual countries. Our manifesto promised to reset our relationship with the devolved Governments, and we have developed the Bill with them. I am delighted that they expressed their support on Second Reading. Clauses 5 and 6 cover the Bill’s commencement and title. The Government are fully committed to supporting the Bill through the next stages so it can become the Rare Cancers Act 2025. The shadow Minister talked about the national cancer plan, which I can confirm is being worked on. We have had over 11,000 representations on that plan, which will be published later this year, following the publication of the national 10-year plan for health tomorrow. The children and young people cancer taskforce was launched earlier this year and continues to meet, and has now ensured that young people and children’s voices are part of the taskforce.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Infant Feeding · Hansard source

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  I agree. The hon. Member will see in the 10-year plan and some of the investments we are making—for instance, to reduce the number of women smoking in pregnancy—that the Government recognise that. We recognise that infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development, and we recognise the significant benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies. We are fully committed to supporting families to breastfeed should they choose to do so. We know that most mothers want to breastfeed, but many stop before they would ideally like to. While it has been positive to see many more mothers continuing to breastfeed in recent years, we know that they can face complex barriers to achieving their infant feeding goals. I recognise the concerns raised through the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative report on the UK infant feeding policy landscape. Health is devolved, and I would like to commend Northern Ireland for its performance in this area, which was raised by the hon. Member for Strangford. However, we know through the report that England scores poorly, and we want to change that. Families need quality services, trustworthy information, affordable options and systems that support them, not hinder them. Midwives and maternity services play a crucial role through the perinatal period in preparing and supporting families around infant feeding. We have committed to training thousands more midwives to better support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond, and there has been an increase of over 1,300 full-time equivalent midwives in the workforce since April 2024. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service that we will build over the next decade. To drive forward improvement in maternity and neonatal services, we announced the launch of a national independent investigation into maternity and neonatal care. The investigation will recommend one set of national actions by December. A national maternity and neonatal taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, will then bring together independent experts to co-produce a national plan to drive improvement. As families transition from maternity services to the community, it is important that they continue to receive the support they need, and health visitors are key to this. However, we know that health visitor numbers have decreased and there is variation in the level of services across the country, but it remains a universal service, and we are committed to that. In the plan for change, we committed to strengthening health visiting services so that all families can access their support. We are investing in family hubs and the Start for Life programme, with £18.5 million this year to improve infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England. Start for Life services are helping parents to access support where they need it and in a location that suits them, whether that is their home, their family hub, a hospital setting or through the many voluntary sector organisations that have been referred to today. Local authorities are working with partners to embed local infant feeding strategies, joining up services for seamless support and tailoring them to their community, with both universal and targeted support. They are building up the workforce, investing in infant feeding specialists, delivering high-quality training and expanding networks of peer supporters. Funding is also helping to train staff to identify complex needs early such as tongue-tie, and to offer timely support. Although long-term evaluation is needed to understand the full impact of the programme, some promising findings are emerging. For example, ambitious multi-layered integrated infant feeding plans have led to increased breastfeeding rates in Coventry, and local health visitor data shows an increase in breastfeeding at six to eight weeks from 51% to 57% in just 18 months. We are also helping families across the UK to access breastfeeding support 24 hours a day through the National Breastfeeding Helpline.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Infant Feeding · Hansard source

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  This is very much targeted through the family hub service and support for Start for Life, and through the universal health visiting offer and the National Breastfeeding Helpline we aim to offer all women who are breastfeeding the support that they need to do so. Parental leave has been touched on, and we know that supporting parents goes beyond services. Returning to work can influence how families choose to feed their babies, and in the plan to make work pay we have committed to a review of the parental leave system. As the hon. Member said, that review was launched by the Department for Business and Trade in the Chamber earlier today, and we are delighted to see that come forward. I have spoken a lot about breastfeeding, but we absolutely recognise that when families cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they get formula that is safe, nutritionally complete and affordable. Infant formula regulations and Competition and Markets Authority recommendations are important, but we know that many families are struggling to afford infant formula. We welcome the report from the CMA into the UK infant and follow-on formula market. It highlighted some of the issues that the hon. Member raised, in particular by noting that families rely on brand reputation and price as a proxy for quality, often choosing more expensive products. However, specific regulations require all infant formula to comply with robust nutritional and compositional standards, so that all infant formula sold on the UK market meets the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand. The CMA has made 11 recommendations to the Government, with four aims: to eliminate brand influence in healthcare settings; to provide better information for parents in retail settings; to strengthen labelling and advertising rules; and to ensure effective enforcement of regulations. The Government are supportive of what the CMA is trying to achieve. We want parents to be confident enough to choose lower-priced products, and for manufacturers and retailers to compete more on price. The CMA recommendations are UK wide. We are considering them alongside colleagues in the devolved Governments, and aim to have a UK-wide response available as soon as possible. In conclusion, I thank the hon. Member for raising this important matter. The Government are committed to giving children the best start in life, and we do not underestimate the challenge of getting this right for families. We will continue to strengthen key services, build on good practice, and identify where we can have the greatest impact for families. Tomorrow I will meet the all-party group on babies, and I look forward to discussing these issues further with them. Question put and agreed to .

• 1 Jul 2025 · Infant Feeding · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member on securing the debate. Through her leadership of the all-party parliamentary group for infant feeding, she is working to ensure that families across the country get the right support. I thank all hon. Members who have contributed—my hon. Friends the Members for Ribble Valley (Maya Ellis), for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Rand), for South Derbyshire (Samantha Niblett) and for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe (David Chadwick), the hon. Members for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and for Exmouth and Exeter East (David Reed), and yourself, Madam Deputy Speaker. The number of interventions and contributions has shown how important the issue is and how deeply it is felt across the House. The hon. Member for Chichester asked about the 10-year plan. I will not go into detail about what is in it, but—tick, tock—she does not have to wait long as the plan will be launched on Thursday morning. I look forward to working with colleagues across the House and the wider health landscape on how we deliver the plan. In that plan, they will see that children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. That is why the Government are taking a mission-based approach to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and to ensuring that every child has a healthy, happy start to life.

• 30 Jun 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill (Money) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That, for the purposes of any Act resulting from the Rare Cancers Bill, it is expedient to authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of: (1) any expenditure incurred under or by virtue of the Act by the Secretary of State, and (2) any increase attributable to the Act in the sums payable under or by virtue of any other Act out of money so provided. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) for bringing forward this important Bill. The Government support it, and are committed to making a real difference for patients with rare cancers.

• 30 Jun 2025 · Rare Cancers Bill (Money) · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Gentleman said, health is devolved. I am happy to write to him with the details of how we expect this private Member’s Bill to be implemented by the devolved Governments. Question put and agreed to.

• 25 Jun 2025 · Haemochromatosis Screening · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) for securing this debate and for sharing his personal connection as someone who has haemochromatosis. In honour of World Haemochromatosis Week earlier this month, from 1 to 7 June, I pay tribute to the important work that my hon. Friend and our colleagues on the all-party parliamentary group are doing to raise awareness of genetic haemochromatosis. As we have heard, genetic haemochromatosis can have debilitating consequences, including arthritis, joint pain, diabetes, fatigue, psychological or cognitive difficulties, skin conditions, menstrual problems, impotence, breathing and heart problems, abdominal pain, liver problems and hair loss. This genetic condition, which allows iron levels to build up in the body, particularly affects people of white northern European backgrounds. It is estimated that as many as one in 150 people in England and Wales, one in 113 people in Scotland and one in 10 people in Northern Ireland are affected. Health is a devolved matter, and I am delighted to see Members from the devolved nations represented in this debate. I note the interventions from the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), and from my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow West (Patricia Ferguson), who is the Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee. All four nations in the UK are advised on screening matters by the same independent scientific advisory committee. The UK National Screening Committee is an independent scientific advisory committee that advises Ministers and the NHS in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening, and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes, economic evaluation, expert stakeholders and consultation, the UK NSC assesses the evidence for national screening programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria. These cover the condition, the test, the treatment options, the effectiveness, the ethics and the acceptability of the screening programme. It is only where the offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended. The UK National Screening Committee reviewed the case for screening for genetic haemochromatosis in adults in 2021. After consideration, it recommended on balance against a national screening programme at that time. That was because although a faulty hereditary hemochromatosis protein gene—the HFE gene—is known to cause iron to build up, that does not happen to every person with the faulty gene. Screening could therefore result in people being told that they have a condition that would not go on to impact their lives, which may cause undue worry. Screening would identify people who may never experience symptoms. A screening programme would be most relevant for this condition if pre-symptomatic treatment showed significant improvements in an individual’s prognosis. However, there is limited evidence on whether treatment is more effective in individuals without symptoms compared with those who have symptoms. Currently, there is no evidence that a screening programme is the best way of helping people with the condition. However, the UK National Screening Committee keeps its decisions under review. It welcomes any new published peer-reviewed evidence that suggests the case for a new or modified screening programme via its annual call. Any individual or organisation can submit a topic to the UK NSC to consider a new screening programme or modification to an existing programme. Haemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic diseases, and genetic testing is available. For patients in England who show unexplained iron overload suggestive of hereditary haemochromatosis, genetic testing is available at one of the seven genomic laboratories. Any healthcare professional who suspects their patient may have haemochromatosis can refer their patient for testing via their local NHS clinical genomic service. As we have heard, the main way to treat the condition is venesection, which is a procedure to remove some of an individual’s blood. This may need to happen every week at first, but only two to four times a year once the condition is stable. For those who cannot have blood removed, chelation therapy is an option. This medicine reduces the amount of iron in a patient’s body. I know that the NHS Blood and Transplant service works with many patients who have genetic haemochromatosis. While some genetic haemochromatosis sufferers will not be well enough, many of these individuals are well enough, and like Lorraine, the constituent of my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor), offer to give blood as an alternative to venesection. Turning a life-altering condition into a lifesaving opportunity is to be commended. I take this opportunity to thank each and every patient who is able to do so and has opted for that route. To conclude, I once again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar for bringing forward this important debate and every Member who has contributed. Let this be the beginning of a conversation about how we can best support people with haemochromatosis. The condition affects many in our constituencies, and this has been an important opportunity to highlight how we must support their diagnosis and treatment in the future. Question put and agreed to.

• 24 Jun 2025 · Care Settings: Right to Maintain Contact · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Ms Butler, for chairing this important debate at such short notice, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) for securing it. The Minister for Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Aberafan Maesteg (Stephen Kinnock), has asked me to pass on his apologies; he is unable to represent the Government in this debate as he is currently in session on the Mental Health Bill Committee. However, he joins me in thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton not only for securing this debate, but for all the work he has done in advocating for relatives and friends to have the right to visit care home residents and patients in hospitals and hospices. I also thank all those who have shared their personal stories and those who are in the Public Gallery today. I can say without hesitation that the Minister for Care and I agree with my hon. Friend on the importance of visiting in care settings. Contact with family and friends is a crucial part of a person’s care. Indeed, there is evidence that supporting people to be actively involved in their own care, treatment and support can improve outcomes and experiences for people receiving care. No one should be denied reasonable access to visitors when they are in a care home, a hospital, or a hospice. That includes receiving assistance from a care supporter or simply going for a walk with a family member or friend. Before the covid-19 pandemic care homes, hospitals and hospices set visiting policies based on their specific local circumstances. During the pandemic, restrictions on visiting were implemented to prevent the spread of covid-19. Those restrictions were in response to clinical advice and were designed to protect people living in care or in hospital, who were often among the most vulnerable to the virus. Visiting and accompanying is one of the fundamental standards against which the Care Quality Commission assesses quality of care. The Government recognise how important visiting is for the health and wellbeing of residents in care homes and patients in hospitals and hospices. We have monitored the position since the new fundamental standard was introduced in 2023. We know that the majority of health and care providers are facilitating visits and recognise their importance. The capacity tracker, a digital tool where adult social care providers self-report data, shows that 99.3% of care home providers are facilitating visits. That figure has been stable since September 2022. However, we also know that there are times when it is necessary for movement in and out of care settings to be temporarily restricted.

• 24 Jun 2025 · Care Settings: Right to Maintain Contact · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Lady for that intervention, and it is noted. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) told the powerful story of his own mother-in-law and his experiences there, and spoke about the importance of family contact, specifically for children in health and social care settings. For the sake of clarity, regulation 9A does not cover children’s homes—there are other regulations for that. We are talking specifically about health and social care settings. We heard powerful interventions from other Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale West (Mr Rand). The Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett), and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), asked a series of questions: is regulation 9A sufficient? Can the CQC monitor an Act? What are the exceptional circumstances of regulation 9A? Who is making those decisions? What principle is being followed and how is it being properly monitored? The Government are committed to understanding the current position and considering how it can be improved. That is why in April we launched a review of CQC regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices. All the issues raised today will be explored as part of that review. We want the review to be thorough and will consider the experiences of those receiving care, their families and loved ones, providers and health experts, as well as information from the Care Quality Commission, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. To ensure that we get a wide range of views, we have also opened a call for evidence and are running focus groups, with the first one taking place later today. The representations made in today’s debate will help to inform the review. I further thank all contributors, and assure them that their contributions have been noted. We are determined to understand whether the expectations set by the regulation are right and that its application in practice works in the best way across care homes, hospitals and hospices, and in relation to visiting and accompanying. I can confirm for the hon. Member for Strangford that we will look at the experience of all UK nations, including Northern Ireland and Scotland, where the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, which includes Anne’s law, was approved on 10 June. That law requires care providers to facilitate visits to care home residents and to identify an essential care supporter for each resident. I can assure hon. Members that we will reflect on the points made here as we conduct the review. We will move fast and ensure that we do justice to this important issue. We need to understand the problems and gaps if we are to draw the right conclusions from the review. We are pressing on with evidence gathering and focus groups right now. We plan to publish the outcome of the review and any further steps in the autumn.

• 24 Jun 2025 · Care Settings: Right to Maintain Contact · Hansard source

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  I do not have that data to hand, but I will make sure that it is provided to the shadow Minister afterwards. While there is sometimes the need for temporary restrictions or modifications to minimise significant risks, the Government hope that such instances are a rarity. It is our aspiration to ensure that visiting policy and practice strike the best possible balance between individual wellbeing and public health needs. I have been really moved by, and taken note of, the evidence put forward by many Members that that may not always be the case. The right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts) talked about her experience with her mother, and brought to life the value that family and friends bring to the emotional wellbeing of the person being cared for and how, as partners in care, they play a key role in delivering that care.

• 21 May 2025 · UK Health Security Agency: Porton Down · Hansard source

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  I can assure my hon. Friend, and the House, that all considerations will be taken into account when this decision is made. As I have said, the Government are thoroughly assessing options, including all those that have been raised. Two main options are under consideration: to rebuild and refurbish some facilities at Porton Down and its sister site at Colindale in north London, or to build an entirely new facility in Harlow, Essex. In either event, the staff working in the defence, science and technology laboratory at Porton Down will remain there, and even when a decision is made on those options, nothing will happen overnight. Complexity and rigorous scientific requirements mean that completion will take more than a decade, which is why we continue to invest in maintaining our current site and facilities at Porton Down, with £38.1 million allocated for capital investment in the recent spending review. The Government are committed to ensuring that we retain the ability to carry out the vital functions of UKHSA Porton Down. Members, the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee have all advocated for an urgent decision, but identifying the right site that delivers on this mission, while ensuring best value for money, is a complex decision and one that we must get right. I can assure the House that extensive discussions are taking place between UKHSA, the Department of Health and Social Care and His Majesty’s Treasury to inform a decision, and I can confirm that this decision will be taken as part of the spending review, which will conclude next month.

• 21 May 2025 · UK Health Security Agency: Porton Down · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Member for Salisbury (John Glen) for securing this important debate and for his passionate advocacy on behalf of his constituents for the vital work conducted by the UK Health Security Agency at its Porton Down site. I also take the opportunity to recognise the intervention from my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) and his passionate advocacy on behalf of his constituents. Before I come to the decision-making process, I want to use this opportunity to reference some of the incredible work that takes place on the site. Whether it is advancing vaccine development to address global health threats, such as Mpox, or leading the world in evaluating vaccines to ensure that we have effective programmes that save countless lives, Porton Down stands as a pillar of excellence in our national health security infrastructure. Through the UKHSA science strategy, we are committed to securing health and prosperity with partners in industry and academia. That is why we established the vaccine development and evaluation centre on the Porton Down site, securing learning from the pandemic and advancing our critical research on vaccines. Porton Down’s diagnostics capabilities are equally vital, providing the UK’s only 24/7 service for detecting rare and imported pathogens, including life-threatening diseases such as Marburg virus, Ebola and Lassa fever. The site also plays a unique role in environmental microbiology and biosafety, helping us to understand better how infections spread in real-world settings. Porton Down’s role does not stop at healthcare. It reaches into our ecosystems, our food chain and our environment. Porton Down is a national leader in medical entomology, including the surveillance of invasive mosquitoes and ticks. Its work ensures that the UK can rapidly detect and respond to vector-borne diseases, protecting the public from threats before they gain a foothold. The site’s food, water and environmental microbiology teams provide additional expertise that is critical to national resilience and the Government’s work on climate change; but, crucially, the work of those globally leading teams requires the best facilities. As the right hon. Member will know, many facilities on the site are ageing, and I appreciate that the people who work there need clarity on its future as quickly as possible. The Government are thoroughly assessing options for securing the facilities that are required for these highly specialist functions and services in the future.

• 21 May 2025 · UK Health Security Agency: Porton Down · Hansard source

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  I can assure my hon. Friend that the benefits of all options will be considered.

• 21 May 2025 · UK Health Security Agency: Porton Down · Hansard source

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  I do not currently have the detail on that, but I will write to the right hon. Gentleman following this debate. I can confirm that he knows as much as I do about what might be in the spending review, because those decisions have yet to be made, but more information will be made available as soon as possible. As the Secretary of State said earlier this year, “The worst decision is indecision”, —[ Official Report , 13 March 2025; Vol. 763, c. 1295.] and this Government are committed to sorting out this issue once and for all. A decision will be made in a matter of weeks. In anticipation of that decision, UKHSA is taking steps to prepare to remobilise the programme at pace. It recently invited the Government Internal Audit Agency to conduct a short review of its remobilisation plans as part of its commitment to ensure that there is maximum transparency and rigorous assessment of the programme. The agency has also obtained advice from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. I am sure that colleagues from across the House share my view that the work conducted at Porton Down is critical to protect the country. The recent pandemic put into sharp focus how this work is fundamental to keeping us all safe. Although there is still the outstanding question of how we can best preserve the facilities for the country, whatever decision we take will be made in full consultation with the staff at Porton Down, whose critical skills are highly valued by us all. I thank the right hon. Member for Salisbury again for raising this vital issue, and all Members who have intervened in the debate. I commit to updating him on progress once a decision is made. Question put and agreed to.

• 21 May 2025 · Chronic Urinary Tract Infections · Hansard source

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  It is an honour, as ever, to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I thank the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Luke Taylor) for securing this debate. I would like to welcome and acknowledge Phoebe and all others in the Gallery. Of course, I put on record straightaway that I will ensure that a meeting takes place with the relevant Minister—we are just working out whether that will be me or somebody else, but I will ensure that it takes place. I also recognise the contributions from other hon. Members here today. My hon. Friend the Member for Dudley (Sonia Kumar), who is no longer in her place, always brings her expertise as a clinician to this discussion and does much to raise awareness. The hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton), who is also no longer in his place, talked about antibiotics and AMR, which I will come to later. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and the spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller), spoke about Pharmacy First. Just to confirm, it does operate in England and is designed to ensure that women aged 16 to 64 can access treatment for uncomplicated UTIs. It is worth saying that the Government currently have no plans to extend that age group, as pre-16 or post-64 cases are not necessarily considered uncomplicated and would, we would argue, require a little more focus. My hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Matt Turmaine) recognised the desperation of many sufferers and highlighted the links to suicide. Before I come to my speech and refer to some of the issues raised by the Front-Bench spokespeople, may I say that my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Dr Gardner) and I have been very good friends for some years? I know how she suffers, and I recognise her courage. She is such a powerful voice on this issue, and I am delighted that she has done what was necessary and worked so hard to get to this place and to be that voice here. I congratulate her on that. UTIs are very common, especially for women, but chronic UTIs are much rarer. However, the charity Chronic Urinary Tract Infection Campaign, CUTIC, estimates that up to 1.7 million women in the UK may suffer from a chronic UTI. That is a very large number of people living in discomfort. I commend CUTIC for its work bringing attention to the plight of chronic UTI sufferers. It is important to make clear the distinction between a UTI, a recurrent UTI and a chronic or persistent UTI. A recurrent urinary tract infection is defined as having two or more UTIs within six months, or three or more UTIs within a year, with symptoms sometimes reappearing after a course of treatment, but regular treatment can eventually cure these. For a chronic UTI, the symptoms never go away, despite treatment. At most, they might slightly abate. A UTI can impact significantly on someone’s quality of life, making it hard to concentrate, sleep or exercise. For someone with a chronic UTI, the pain and discomfort does not end. The physical and mental struggle is relentless. The contemplation of suicide is, as we have discussed, not uncommon among people suffering with chronic UTIs. They can have a negative impact on both intimate and social relationships, as well as self-esteem. That can be incredibly isolating. A population-based survey in England of women over 16 in 2015 found that 37% reported at least one episode of UTI in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, 29% of women reported more than one episode of UTI and 3% of women reported a history of recurrent UTIs in the past year. Misogyny in health services is an issue that has been discussed in this Chamber before, and women’s health remains a priority for the Government. We have been let down for too long, but we are determined to change that, and women’s health will continue to be a major focus as we fundamentally reform the health service and get it delivering for patients once again. We are working with NHS England to take forward our women’s health strategy, and we have set out plans to use the independent sector to cut gynaecological waiting lists through our investment and reforms. We will make sure that the NHS can be there for all women when they need it. We are bringing through those commitments as part of our 10-year health plan. It is vital that people with chronic UTIs receive support and compassion from the NHS in diagnosis and treatment. No one suffering with a chronic UTI should be made to feel ashamed or in any way at fault for their condition. Living with the condition is a struggle enough without having to bear the insensitivity of others. Chronic UTI sufferers merit the same understanding as anyone else with a non-communicable disease. As stated previously, the reasons why some people develop a chronic UTI are not well understood, and neither is how to cure one once it develops. A long-term dose of antibiotics has been shown to work in some cases, but it is not consistently replicable, and it is not a risk-free approach. There are also the added complications of antibiotic resistance to consider when adopting such a treatment regimen. I will return to that point. Management of the condition is at the discretion of the responsible clinician, based on their specialist training and experience. Patients who remain symptomatic despite investigations and treatment by specialist urological services can be referred onwards to tertiary services. Again, I emphasise that all patients with chronic UTIs should be afforded compassion and support as part of their care. As the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam, who secured this debate, said, there is no NICE guidance specifically on chronic UTIs. The existing guidance provides advice on pain management and hydration. The local NHS is expected to have regard to NICE guidance in providing care and advice to patients. The UK Health Security Agency has begun work in this area, alongside NHS England, primary care and patients, to develop resources to support clinicians in managing UTI conditions. At the moment, that is for recurrent UTIs, and we agree that more research is needed. To address the uncertainty, research is being undertaken. Through our National Institute for Health and Care Research, we are supporting work to understand the research gaps on UTIs. This happens through a James Lind Alliance priority-setting partnership, led by Antibiotic Research UK, Bladder Health UK and the Urology Foundation. The partnership will publish its findings in spring 2026. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, is funding research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections, including chronic UTIs. The research includes the development of antimicrobial-impregnated catheters to reduce episodes of catheter-associated UTIs, as well as something called the TOUCAN study to evaluate the rapid point-of-care UTI diagnostic tests in GP surgeries. Recently the NIHR invested £3.1 million into improving primary care antibiotic prescribing programmes. I want to return to antimicrobial resistance and why it is an important consideration. The first five-year national action plan for AMR in 2019 set out a comprehensive “One Health” approach to address AMR, acting across humans, animals, food and the environment. A further five-year plan was published in March 2024. The UK Health Security Agency has also been working with colleagues from NHSE, primary care settings and patients to develop resources to support clinicians through the TARGET antibiotics toolkit. This toolkit training is currently being rolled out in multiple NHSE regions as part of an intervention to improve the management of common infections, including UTIs, in primary care. We need to build on these successes and ensure that antibiotics use is supported by evidence. AMR is a significant health threat, and an estimated 7,600 deaths were attributable to AMR in the UK in 2019. The Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon. Member for Chichester, spoke about dementia and the added complications that that can lead to. Diagnosing UTI can be especially difficult in older people who often present with atypical or non-specific presentations, and it can be difficult to assess lower urinary tract symptoms in older patients with dementia. In care home settings the resident might not initially present as acutely unwell. They might present with increased lethargy, diminished appetite, reluctance to drink or just not be their usual self. Tools such as RESTORE2 can support care homes to alert a primary care clinician that the resident might be unwell and would benefit from an early clinical review. Care home staff encourage residents to keep hydrated, although that can be challenging in residents with dementia, as we know. The Department is funding research into dementia and chronic urinary tract infections via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The StOP UTI project at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in Wessex sought to identify effective strategies for preventing and recognising UTIs in care homes and has done some work to embed activities into care routines. It concluded that a systems-wide approach was necessary. In July 2024 the NIHR published a call for research applications to improve diagnosis of UTIs in older adults. Stage 2 applications are being considered by the funding committee this month. The Lib Dem spokesperson also talked about community pharmacy and the 10-year plan, which will cover all conditions and is a strategic overview of how we will improve the NHS for everybody. I can confirm that the 10-year health plan is on track to be published next month. The shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), talked about research programmes and guidance. I think I have referred to most of those things in my speech. If I have not, I am more than happy to write to her after this debate. She also touched on prevention. The UKHSA is working with NHS England to run a targeted campaign around UTI prevention in older adults. The campaign will include messages and materials that can be used to support older adults to adapt behaviours, which should reduce the risk of developing a UTI, including messages that suggest they talk to clinicians about treatment options if they have recurring UTIs. In conclusion, I want to highlight our work to make a health service that is fit for the future. We hope that our focus on the three shifts to develop a modern NHS will help to address many of the challenges in navigating the health service faced by those with long-term conditions, including chronic UTIs. Our shift from hospital to community will help to drive more joint working between neighbourhoods in primary care, pharmacies, community health and social care, in order to help people to manage their conditions. As I have said, shortly we will publish our 10-year plan for health, which will set out how we will make our NHS fit for the future. I thank the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam once again for securing this debate to raise awareness of this important but often overlooked issue.

• 15 May 2025 · World Asthma Day · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for bringing this timely debate forward as we mark last week’s World Asthma Day. It shows real leadership from the chair of the APPG for respiratory health. In that spirit, I would be delighted to take him up on his offer of a meeting. We will arrange that as soon as we possibly can—I am keen to do it. I thank hon. Members for their contributions. I am more than happy to meet the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) to discuss the issues that he raised, including prescription charges. There are currently no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. However, approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England and a wide range of exemptions are already in place. Eligibility depends on factors such as the patient’s age and whether they are in qualifying full-time education, are pregnant, have recently given birth or are in receipt of certain benefits. People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS low income scheme. Children are of course entitled to free prescriptions. NHS England’s children and young people’s transformation team have been working closely with the MHRA on dose counters being added to inhalers. The “British National Formulary for Children” has been updated with guidance and supportive resources for patients and clinicians, which have been widely shared. We are awaiting an update on progress on making dose counter inhalers dominant in the supply chain from the pharmaceutical industry. I will be more than happy to update the House when we have it. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale), who focused on air quality, which is a priority for the Government and part of our prevention strategy, and the technology to help to manage asthma. There are a range of technologies available to help people to manage their asthma, and NHS England and NICE are exploring the potential for the platforms for digital self-management of asthma to be evaluated, but that depends on the technology readiness level. Guidelines developed jointly by NICE, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the British Thoracic Society to harmonise recommendations across the organisations were published in November 2024, and I hope they are useful. Before I respond to the Front-Bench contributions—if there is anything I do not cover, please let us know and we will endeavour to write with the relevant details—I want to pay tribute to charities and campaigners: people who are doing the hard yards of helping to equip our hospitals and supporting people to manage their conditions in their day-to-day lives. I thank Asthma + Lung UK, Beat Asthma and the Asthma Relief Charity, to name just a few. The shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans), asked about the contributions by charities to the major conditions strategy. I reassure him that engagement with such stakeholders has been central to the development of the 10-year plan. All submissions made to the major conditions strategy have been taken into account—nothing was wasted. As the hon. Member for Strangford outlined, asthma is the most common lung condition, affecting nearly 5.5 million people in the UK. Just under one in 10 kids live with asthma, and more than 12,000 people have died from asthma attacks in the last 10 years. World Asthma Day is not just about treating a condition; it is about shining a spotlight on inequalities. I strongly agree with the hon. Gentleman that everyone, regardless of where they live or how much they have in their bank account, has the right to access the inhaled medications they need to control their condition and treat attacks. Nevertheless, statistics published by Asthma + Lung UK just this month show that Asian people with asthma from the most deprived quintile in England are almost three times more likely to have an emergency admission to hospital than their white counterparts. Black people with asthma from that group are also more than twice as likely to be admitted to hospital. This is a burning injustice. As if that were not enough, the annual economic burden of asthma in the UK is around £3 billion a year. Lung conditions collectively cost the NHS £11 billion annually. That is why we must act. I will update Members on NHS England’s activities in this space before moving on to wider Government efforts. NHS England is taking steps to support integrated care systems to improve outcomes for people with asthma through its national respiratory programme by providing targeted funding, clarifying what systems should be doing to ensure that people with asthma receive a high-quality and timely diagnosis, and working with key partners, industry representatives, patient groups and clinicians to support improved respiratory disease management. That will include shared decision making on inhaler choice and making better use of inhalers to reduce the overuse of reliever inhalers and encourage the use of preventer inhalers. The hon. Member for Strangford raised the issue of access to and roll-out of treatments. Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, on behalf of NHS England, commissioned a national audit across respiratory care, which includes asthma, and all data from the audit is published for open access. NICE is working with BTS, SIGN, NHS England and others to review the resources available to support implementation of the guidelines, and plans to publish a respiratory toolkit. To support implementation of NICE guidance, NHS England has been engaging with health system partners across the country to co-ordinate resources and implementation efforts to make sure that patients are on the appropriate treatment regime. NHS England is also protecting our children and young people through the national bundle of care. It is putting asthma care at the top of the agenda by giving asthma a higher priority within systems, providing funding for regional leadership, and strengthening governance and accountability to improve outcomes. It has also played a crucial role in making training easier and more readily available for staff by bringing together existing guidance and resources with a structured training scheme. Since its publication there has been a noticeable reduction in hospital admissions. The hon. Member for Strangford and the shadow Minister both raised spirometry, a diagnostic test for asthma as well as other respiratory diseases. NHS England is working with a range of partners, including Asthma + Lung UK, the British Thoracic Society, the Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology and clinical leads to make sure that systems have everything they need to increase the number of people receiving early and accurate diagnosis for respiratory disease. In the past year the Government have made extra funding available to make sure that staff have the proper training and accreditation to use spirometry effectively. On inequalities, NHS England is taking steps to uplift the most deprived quintile through Core20PLUS5. That initiative focuses on five areas of improvement, of which chronic respiratory disease is a key part. There are targeted interventions to detect and treat asthma. The PLUS population groups include ethnic minority communities, people with a learning disability, autistic people, coastal communities, people with multimorbidity and protected characteristic groups. Core20PLUS5 also has a dedicated workstream for children and young people. The primary focus is to address over-reliance on reliever medications while decreasing the number of asthma attacks. That has made some progress, with clear reductions in the over-prescribing of reliever inhalers over the past few years. Between April 2022 and February 2025 the proportion of patients with asthma who received six or more reliever inhaler prescriptions fell from just under 20% to under 16%. The Government are supporting systems to take innovative approaches to expanding access to their diagnostic services, with a particular focus on addressing health inequalities. Finally, the NHS rightly offers the flu vaccine free of charge to people with severe asthma as seasonal illnesses pose more of a threat to them than others. NHS England has been working with the severe asthma collaborative to develop the capacity of severe asthma centres to improve patient access to biologic treatments and to reduce variation in prescribing and patient management. That work has shown improved identification of patients with potential severe asthma in primary and secondary care, resulting in referral to severe asthma centres for consideration of their eligibility for biologic therapy. For four in 10 asthma patients with severe asthma those treatments can significantly improve their quality of life. However, it is vital that biologics are prescribed only following specialist assessment. Currently, the NHS is deploying six biological treatments approved to treat severe asthma. The shadow Minister raised the issue of vaccines. I reassure him that a strategy and action are being delivered to increase vaccination uptake, including RSV and flu, because that is a priority for the Government. Returning to biologics, significant work was undertaken to drive uptake and access to them through the NHS England severe asthma collaborative, and patient outcomes are submitted to the UK severe asthma registry. That has improved the identification of patients with potential severe asthma, and has resulted in those people being referred to the relevant care pathways. Every member of the Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children in our history. We are taking steps to protect our kids from obesity and smoking, which are major risk factors; each one is responsible for roughly a third of asthma deaths. We are taking action through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which I am pleased to say has just passed Second Reading in the other place. In her autumn Budget, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor took steps to ensure that the soft drinks industry levy remains effective. We have not just uprated the levy to bring it in line with inflation; we also published a consultation just last month on two proposed changes—reducing the lowest sugar tax threshold from 5 grams to 4 grams of total sugar per 100 ml, and removing the exemption for milk-based and milk substitute drinks. Finally, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is cleaning up our air with Great British Energy and a raft of other measures. My Department will shortly be publishing its 10-year plan for health to make our NHS fit for the future. We will shift the focus of our NHS from sickness to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital. Until then, we are already taking steps on prevention by helping people to lose weight and quit smoking or vaping, and by helping to clean up our air. We are helping people to get diagnosed closer to home by requiring community diagnostic centres to provide spirometry tests. The Government remain committed to ensuring that existing CDCs, where they are not already, are rolled out at full operational capacity at their permanent site.

• 15 May 2025 · World Asthma Day · Hansard source

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  Yes, I will come to many of those issues. As I was saying, NHS England is piloting a digital annual asthma check, which, if successful, will mean that fewer people miss that valuable check and will keep the monitoring of their asthma up to date. The Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller), asked about the public health grant. The grant has been increased and local directors of public health are best placed to identify where to target resources in their communities. As I have said, the 10-year health plan will be published next month. It will cover all conditions and will consider lung health. I have talked about the stakeholder engagement that was really important in that, and I can guarantee that, with the 10-year strategic plan for the NHS, we will look right across the board at how we can make sure that all conditions get due consideration. During our short interruption, I was able to get a little more information for the shadow Minister on FeNO. Wessex Academic Health Science Network has created a FeNO rapid uptake product delivery toolkit, which is providing downloadable tools and resources to support NHS organisations with the adoption and implementation of FeNO testing to improve outcomes. Anyone can access that toolkit, which contains case studies of best practice identified through the programme. I hope that is helpful. On the changes to NHS England, we are abolishing NHS England in itself, but none of its functions is disappearing. We are working really closely across the Department and NHS England, as well as with our ICB colleagues, to ensure that all services are transferred in an appropriate way. The purpose of the changes is to make things as efficient and targeted as possible and to ensure that they get to the people who need them the most. Ensuring that community diagnostic centres are supported is really important to the Government, as it is very much part of one of our three shifts: from hospital to community. Those shifts—the other two are from sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital—are at the very heart of the 10-year plan. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford for bringing forward the debate. I am sure that he would agree that World Asthma Day is not just for raising awareness; it should also be a celebration of the great things that people with asthma have accomplished. I did not know this until I saw the research for this debate, but past asthmatics have included Dickens, Disraeli and Beethoven. If those examples seem archaic, I can also point to Harry Styles, Jessica Alba and David Beckham, as well as to many prominent Olympic medallists. People with asthma achieve great things. It is our job in this place to help them to reach their full potential, with a particular focus on addressing how respiratory conditions affect people in deprived communities.

• 15 May 2025 · World Asthma Day · Hansard source

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  Yes, I confirm that I will write to the shadow Minister on FeNO at a later date. NHS England is also piloting a digital annual asthma check. I am sorry, Dr Huq, this is highly irregular, but I am feeling extremely unwell; I need to go and make myself okay. [ Interruption. ] Thank you for your forbearance, Dr Huq. Crohn’s is not something that we have debated in this Chamber; if we did, no doubt I would be the responding Minister, and I can assure you that I would be able to speak from personal expertise.

• 8 May 2025 · Brain Tumours: Research and Treatment · Hansard source

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  NHS England has found that creating that environment does not necessarily provide new and better ways of repurposing drugs, and that can be done far more efficiently and far less bureaucratically by using local off-label prescribing. We are looking at how we can incentivise researchers and clinical trials to explore repurposing drugs. We are determined to make the NIHR and other funders grasp opportunities to support those proposals. We will help researchers work with industry and clinicians to strengthen the evidence base for new drugs. The NHS is working hard to diagnose and treat cancers on time. There is more to do on early diagnosis and faster treatment, in order to improve patient experience and survival. The NHS is focused on improving diagnostic waiting times, and on providing MRI, CT and other tests to reduce cancer waits, because, as Lord Darzi’s investigation has shown, we face significant challenges if we are to bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standard of the best in the world. We know that the best way to improve survival for those with brain tumours, and with all cancers, is to diagnose patients early and treat them quickly. In our first six months, 80,000 more patients received a diagnosis or an all-clear within 28 days than did in the previous year, thanks to investment in cutting NHS waiting lists. In March, more than 80% of patients in England referred for cancer had it ruled out or diagnosed within 28 days—it is the first time that target has been met in years. [ Official Report , 2 June 2025; Vol. 768, c. 2WC.] (Correction) But we must go further, and we will. Our reforms to cancer care will see more than 100,000 people diagnosed faster, and thousands more starting treatment within two months across the NHS. There is no single solution to this complex challenge. That is why my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has been clear that there will be a national cancer plan published later this year. This plan will ensure that rarer cancers, including brain cancers, will not be left behind. It is my absolute privilege, as a person with cancer, to be driving that cancer plan. I am delighted that we have so far received more than 11,000 representations as part of the call for evidence. I can assure my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden that her contributions and all others will be taken seriously. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson also talked about low-grade cancers. There is a difference between staging and grading, and it is important that we are clear about that. Low-grade brain tumours are considered non-cancerous, and they grow more slowly and are less likely to spread, but although low-grade brain tumours are generally non-cancerous, they can have similar serious symptoms, and require surgery or radiotherapy to treat them. The Government are investing in new life-saving and life-improving research to support people diagnosed with those cancers. In closing, for those affected by this devastating disease, every discovery, every treatment and every moment matters. We recognise that more needs to be done to stimulate high-quality, high-impact research into brain tumours. Through our targeted package of support, that is what we will do. We completely understand the strength of feeling on this issue, not least because three Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care are cancer survivors. We know how terrifying it is to receive a diagnosis. We have sat in waiting rooms, hoping for good news and fearing the worst—and we have heard the worst. We have had those difficult conversations with our loved ones and seen the devastating impact on their lives. That is why we are committed to making a real difference for patients with brain cancer. We will leave no stone unturned until they get the first-class care that they deserve. I look forward to further discussing how we can achieve this when I meet members of the all-party parliamentary group on brain tumours next week.

• 8 May 2025 · Brain Tumours: Research and Treatment · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) and the hon. Member for Witney (Charlie Maynard) for securing this vitally important debate. They have both been powerful voices in this place for more research, greater care and better treatments for patients with brain tumours. My hon. Friend spoke so powerfully, as always, and in the name of her sister Margaret. I thank the hon. Member for Witney for sharing his sister’s story. I commend her for her fundraising activity and wish her the very best. The hon. Member asked three very clear questions, which I hope my response will cover. I also thank other Members who made powerful contributions in what has been a very constructive debate. I hope my responses will answer their queries, but if not, I will endeavour to write to all Members following this debate about any gaps that are left. The hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine) spoke about disparity of drug access. My right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) asked for zest, and spoke about the requirement for it. He expressed the frustrations of the APPG and others at the speed at which we are able to make progress. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) spoke about the importance of research, and my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton West (Phil Brickell) spoke about clinical trials. The hon. Member for Leicester South (Shockat Adam) brought his expertise on optometry to bear, and spoke about how useful an eye test can be. The hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan), the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, talked about low-grade tumours. I commend her constituents, whom she spoke about, for their work. I thank the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans), for sharing the story of Isla’s stones. What a powerful metaphor and a powerful remembrance. He also spoke about the acquired brain injury strategy. My remarks will focus on brain tumours, but I can confirm that the ABI strategy remains in play and in development. I will update the House on that as soon as possible. First, I pay tribute to some fantastic charities for their advocacy—the Brain Tumour Charity, Brain Tumour Research, Cancer Research UK and Tom’s Trust, to name just a few. Innovative research is vital in our fight against this devastating disease if we are to offer people the most cutting-edge treatments and the highest-quality care. The Department of Health and Social Care, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, invests over £1.6 billion per year in research. In the past financial year alone, it invested over £130 million specifically in cancer research. That has enabled 261 brain tumour studies to happen in the NHS, involving 11,400 people in potentially life-changing research over the past six years. Since 2018, the NIHR has directly invested almost £12 million in brain tumour research projects; it has also spent around £37.5 million on wider infrastructure investments in facilities, services and the research workforce, making research possible. In addition, over five years, between 2020 and 2024, the Medical Research Council committed more than £18.5 million to brain tumour research. Our investments are having an impact. NIHR-funded research has shown that a new targeted drug combination treatment can give better outcomes for one of the most common types of paediatric brain cancer, but of course there is still so much more to do. Too little is known about how to prevent, diagnose and manage brain tumours, and they remain one of the hardest cancers to treat and a challenging area for research. That is why we are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken some steps to stimulate scientific progress. I would like to offer the House just three examples from the past year. First, in September, the NIHR announced a new package of funding opportunities for brain cancer research for both adults and children. Secondly, in December, the NIHR established a new national brain tumour research consortium. The consortium brings together research from a range of disciplines and institutions to drive faster scientific advancements in how we prevent, detect, manage and treat brain cancer. This complements the NIHR’s dedicated funding call on research into wraparound care, rehabilitation and quality of life for patients with brain tumours. It has received a high volume of applications, and those applications are under consideration by an independent expert peer review panel. Thirdly, the Department is working actively as a member of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to fully support the vision of bringing the best care to all brain tumour patients in the UK. Together, we will work with the brain tumour community to accelerate research and bring new insights to the field. This summer, the mission will launch the Tessa Jowell allied health professional research fellowship to train early-career health professionals in conducting vital research on how we improve patients’ quality of life. The commitment to spend at least £40 million on brain cancer remains in place. The limiting factor has not been restrictions on funding, or funds being spent elsewhere, and every research proposal assessed as being fundable has been funded. My Department is now focusing on how we grow the scientific community working on brain cancer to get more research funded. We are committed to increasing spending on brain cancer research, and the £40 million target is not a funding ceiling—it will not end there. However, it is important that only high-quality applications be funded, so that public funds are invested well and produce impactful and usable research evidence. We will continue to work hand in glove with partners who fund research on new scientific discoveries, such as Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and brain tumour charities. We stand ready to translate these much-needed discoveries as quickly as possible into new treatments for patients via the NIHR. My hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden raised the issue of partnerships with industry to develop treatments, and I can confirm that we are committed to working with the pharmaceutical industry and others with the common aim of creating a faster, more efficient, more accessible and innovative clinical treatment delivery system. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research, and to yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, so that we can provide innovative treatment options for patients, including those with glioblastoma. The new brain tumour research consortium, to which I have referred, will bring together people to work on that, and will work to detect, manage and treat rarer and less survivable cancers in children and adults. Clinical trials are a crucial part of cancer research. They are the key to advanced medical progress, improved patient outcomes and more hope for the future. Britain is already one of the best destinations in the world for clinical trials, but we want to go further. On 7 April, the Prime Minister announced action to accelerate the set-up and delivery of clinical trials; the time taken to set up studies will be cut to 150 days by March next year, down from 250 days, according to the latest data, which was collected in 2022. The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to being a world-leading destination for clinical trials. Work is ongoing to streamline and reform the set-up and delivery of clinical trials through digitalisation, and by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy. That is driving a “right research, right setting” initiative, and we are moving from reactive to proactive portfolio management, including by supporting the workforce and continuing to embed a research and innovation culture across the health and social care system. The Government also support the private Member’s Bill on rare cancers, brought forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur). The Bill will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to take place in England by ensuring that the patient population can be easily contacted. This Government are committed to backing innovative clinical research ecosystems in the UK, so that British patients can be among the first to benefit. We will bust bureaucracy, fast-track clinical trials and give patients improved access to cutting-edge treatments and technologies, including for brain tumours. “Be Part of Research” is our landmark service, allowing people from all walks of life across the UK to find and participate in research relevant to them, which could transform lives. I urge everybody watching at home to sign up to “Be Part of Research” and to get involved. We have spoken about medicines repurposing, whereby medicines approved for a particular condition are used in new ways to treat different conditions. Repurposing drugs may have particular value for rare cancers, such as brain cancers, for which drug development has been limited. As my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden noted, NHS England has suspended its medicines repurposing programme, but not because it is unimportant; it has shown that opportunities to use existing medicines in new ways can be delivered without the support of a formal repurposing programme, including, for example, through local off-label prescribing. This creates opportunities for NIHR and other funders to support proposals for clinical trials that use repurposed drugs for rare cancers. We will help researchers work with industry and clinicians to strengthen the evidence base for new drugs, and for new uses of drugs, so that we can find out how patients can best be helped.

• 6 May 2025 · Preventive Healthcare: New Technology · Hansard source

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  And he has just sold me on what a wonderful charity it is. I would be more than happy to make sure that the relevant Minister meets the hon. Member to discuss the matter.