Written questions by Gordon.

With reference to the national screening programme for lung cancer, if he will increase funding for smoking cessation provision in order that it can be offered as an opt-out integrated service within all lung screening appointments.

The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme Standard Protocol includes a mandatory referral to smoking cessation services for all current smokers invited to the programme.The Government is providing £70 million additional funding this year to support local authorities increase provision of local stop smoking services which will support improved referral pathways and integrated working.

What steps he plans to take to help (a) return breast cancer screening rates to pre-covid-19 levels and (b) meet breast cancer screening targets.

Following COVID-19, a national restoration plan was implemented by NHS England in 2020/21 with targeted support to all breast screening services to clear the backlog by the Summer of 2023. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, activity was higher than in the previous 10 years, with more women invited for breast screening compared to pre-pandemic years.The NHS England national uptake improvement plan aims to address the fact that despite this action, some women are still not coming forward for breast screening. The plan includes active follow ups for women who have missed appointments or who have not engaged with screening, a review to establish reasons for non-attendance to identify and address any barriers, and a look at how different invitation methods may impact on uptake, considering factors such as age, screening history, and deprivation.

What discussions he has had with his international counterparts on their approach to less survivable cancers.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of an action plan for less survivable cancers individually or as a group, or had specific discussions with international counterparts on their approach to less survivable cancers.Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service, and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. The report will inform the Government’s ten-year plan to reform the NHS, including further detail on how we will improve outcomes for cancer, including less survivable cancers.