Written questions by Jones.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled AI technology to help cut cancer waiting lists, published on 21 May 2024, whether his Department has distributed all of the announced funding.

The funding for artificially intelligent (AI) radiotherapy contouring quoted in the press release was announced under a previous administration, and was not taken forward at the time.However, AI presents significant opportunities within NHS England to improve the delivery of care and outcomes for patients by increasing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, and improving staff productivity, by freeing up staff time from some routine and administrative work.Many of these AI technologies are being tested and evaluated in NHS England to aid clinical decision-making, healthcare diagnostics, and imaging. For example, the Department is focusing the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund on the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas such as chest x-ray and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England.All future spending commitments beyond 2025 to 2026 will be dependent on the outcome of Phase 2 of the Spending Review process, which will conclude and be published in late spring of 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to include cancer prevention within the National Cancer Plan.

The Government has been clear that there should be a national cancer plan, and we are now in discussions about what form it should take, including the role of prevention in the work to reduce the lives lost to cancer. We will develop and publish the 10-Year Health Plan before publishing a new national cancer plan, and will provide updates in due course.The Government recognises the importance of primary and secondary prevention within a holistic approach to improving cancer outcomes. With this aim, the plan will set out how we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.Work is already underway on cancer prevention, with extensive programmes across vaccination, screening, and education, which have the potential to support both reductions in cases of cancer, and increases in early diagnosis rates. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has led to a substantial reduction in cervical cancer cases. All children aged 12 to 13 years old, those in Year 8, are offered the HPV vaccine, and NHS England is taking action to increase uptake. In addition, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of HPV infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.Smoking is the cause of 72% of all lung cancers, and the diagnosis of lung cancer at an earlier stage helps to achieve better results, as there is a wider range of treatment options which can be curative. In response to this, the Government is committed to creating a smoke-free generation through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The latest data shows that the Targeted Lung Screening Programme contributed to an 8% increase in the early diagnosis of lung cancer compared to the pre-pandemic rate.However, the Government recognises that there is much more to be done on cancer prevention, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies, in the development of the national cancer plan.

When he plans to provide an Answer to Question 21540 on General Practitioners: Recruitment, tabled on 19 December 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 21540 on 23 January 2025.

What steps he is taking to fund the ongoing maintenance of the Royal Berkshire Hospital until it is rebuilt.

The safety of National Health Service staff and patients is of vital importance to the Government. That is why repairing and rebuilding our hospitals is a key part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan.The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust and the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board will continue to receive annual capital allocations. These allocations are managed at a local level, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including estate maintenance works. In addition, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer also committed over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Further details on funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025 to 2026, as part of NHS planning guidance. Capital funding levels for future years will be determined through the current Spending Review, which concludes in June 2025.

With reference to his Department's New Hospitals Programme: plan for implementation, published on 20 January 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the delay in the Royal Berkshire Hospital's construction start date to 2037-2039 on (a) patients and (b) staff.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 January 2025 to Question 25505.

What plans he has for the involvement of the Children and Young People's Cancer Taskforce in the formation of the 10-year health plan.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering all policies, including those that impact teenagers and young people with cancer.We want to ensure the 10-Year Health Plan reflects the diversity of the people who use the NHS every day, and it is important that everyone can have their say as we develop it. The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage those concerned about the care of teenagers and young people with cancer to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/We are working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Children’s Commissioner, the National Children’s Bureau, and other partners to ensure we hear from children who are unwell. We have asked local health systems to plan engagement with their local communities, front line staff, and partner organisations, taking care to ensure they reach those who are under-represented, including young people.Young Lives vs Cancer and the Teenage Cancer trust attended our Partners Council event in January, and we are also running a deliberative event with children and young people in February.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a national cancer plan. We are committed to ensuring children and young people with cancer are carefully considered in the plan, and will share further details in due course.

How the forthcoming national cancer plan will consult teenagers and young people with cancer.

The Government has been clear that there should be a national cancer plan, and we are now in discussions about what form it should take, including how we will account for children and young people. We will develop and publish the 10-Year Health Plan before publishing a new national cancer plan, and will provide updates in due course.We recognise that cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, and should be treated as such, particularly with regard to treatment, diagnosis, and wider support. We are committed to carefully considering this as part of our work.The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce will be relaunched in 2025 to identify ways to improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer. We will set out further details on next steps in due course.

Whether he plans to retain the three objectives on cancer in the forthcoming NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance.

The Operational Planning Guidance is due to be published within the coming weeks. It will reference key cancer performance objectives.

If he will make it his policy to include teenagers and young adults with cancer within the 10-year Health Plan.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering all policies, including those that impact teenagers and young people with cancer.We want to ensure the 10-Year Health Plan reflects the diversity of the people who use the NHS every day, and it is important that everyone can have their say as we develop it. The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage those concerned about the care of teenagers and young people with cancer to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/We are working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Children’s Commissioner, the National Children’s Bureau, and other partners to ensure we hear from children who are unwell. We have asked local health systems to plan engagement with their local communities, front line staff, and partner organisations, taking care to ensure they reach those who are under-represented, including young people.Young Lives vs Cancer and the Teenage Cancer trust attended our Partners Council event in January, and we are also running a deliberative event with children and young people in February.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a national cancer plan. We are committed to ensuring children and young people with cancer are carefully considered in the plan, and will share further details in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to engage teenagers and young people with cancer within the 10-year Health Plan.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering all policies, including those that impact teenagers and young people with cancer.We want to ensure the 10-Year Health Plan reflects the diversity of the people who use the NHS every day, and it is important that everyone can have their say as we develop it. The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage those concerned about the care of teenagers and young people with cancer to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should, and what the potential solutions are. Further information is available at the following link:https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/We are working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Children’s Commissioner, the National Children’s Bureau, and other partners to ensure we hear from children who are unwell. We have asked local health systems to plan engagement with their local communities, front line staff, and partner organisations, taking care to ensure they reach those who are under-represented, including young people.Young Lives vs Cancer and the Teenage Cancer trust attended our Partners Council event in January, and we are also running a deliberative event with children and young people in February.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a national cancer plan. We are committed to ensuring children and young people with cancer are carefully considered in the plan, and will share further details in due course.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to complete the Royal Berkshire Hospital on patients in Wokingham constituency.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAn equality impact assessment was carried out for the review which included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was also laid in the House Library and published on 20 January, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

With reference to NHS England's TYA Service Specifications, what steps he is taking to deliver age-appropriate care in age-appropriate settings for teenagers and young adults with cancer.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. We recognise that cancer in teenagers and young people is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.We are committed to considering this as part of our work through the relaunch of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce in 2025, which will focus on teenagers and young adults as well as children, ensuring that their clinical and non-clinical needs are met. We will set out further details on next steps in due course.

Whether the process for developing the new national cancer plan will include consultation with cancer (a) charities and (b) patient representative bodies.

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies.We are now in discussions about what form the National Cancer Plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.

What steps he is taking to set an early diagnosis target for blood cancers.

We are determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancer. To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and we will provide updates in due course.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what proportion of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from land sales.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what percentage of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from public dividend capital.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What plans his Department has to provide funding for the recruitment and retention of the oncology workforce in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.

Developing our workforce is key to supporting the delivery of effective and sustainable cancer services across England and in local areas, including for the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System.NHS England invested approximately £90 million on training and educating the cancer and diagnostics workforce throughout 2024/25, focusing on growing the number of specialist doctors, nurses, support workers, and allied health professionals, as well as providing opportunities to upskill those already providing frontline services.NHS England is also expanding priority medical specialities, including clinical oncologists, medical oncologists, and clinical radiologists. This will aid our ability to recruit and retain the oncology workforce in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish the new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will reform the workforce.

With reference to the New Hospital Programme: Plan for implementation, what proportion of the New Hospital Programme for the Royal Berkshire Hospital is expected to come from charitable donations.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The plan for implementation was laid in the House Library and published on the GOV.UK website, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcomeAs confirmed in this publication, the scheme for Royal Berkshire Hospital is in wave three of the NHP and is now expected to commence construction of the main build between 2037 to 2039.Through the business case process, the trust will set out the costs and the source of funding for their new hospital scheme, including the amounts expected to come from Public Dividend Capital as well as any charitable donations or land sales, if relevant. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as of January 2025, is over £2 billion.In the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced an increase in health capital spending, to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, including over £1 billion to make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance and tackle dangerous Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete. Further details on this funding will follow at the earliest opportunity, including local capital allocations and national capital programmes for 2025/26, as part of the National Health Service’s planning guidance. Budgets for future years will be confirmed as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The state of the NHS estate and safety impacts will be considered as part of this.

What assessment he has made of the reasons why NHS Trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day cancer waiting time standard.

No assessment has been made of the reasons why some National Health Service trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day and 62-day cancer waiting time standards, however we know that patients are waiting too long for cancer treatment. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.

What assessment he has made of the reasons why NHS Trusts are not currently meeting the 62 day cancer waiting time standard.

No assessment has been made of the reasons why some National Health Service trusts are not currently meeting the 31-day and 62-day cancer waiting time standards, however we know that patients are waiting too long for cancer treatment. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times. Further details will be set out in a dedicated national cancer plan and the NHS’s annual operational planning guidance.