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Written Question
Prostate Cancer: Health Services
Thursday 10th July 2025

Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a national screening programme for prostate cancer; and what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for people affected by the disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, lacks the necessary accuracy. It can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, as well as false reassurance for some men. This is particularly important given that many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause harm during a man's lifetime.

However, the UK NSC has commissioned a university to carry out a high-quality review and cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes targeted approaches to high-risk groups and an offer to all men defined by age. The UK NSC expects to receive the report later this year.

In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are Black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.

The National Cancer Plan will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including for those living with prostate cancer.


Written Question
Plastic Surgery: Safety
Wednesday 9th July 2025

Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) safety and (b) regulation in the non-surgical cosmetics sector.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish as soon as possible.


Written Question
Health: Disadvantaged
Tuesday 8th April 2025

Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is tacking to help tackle the socio-economic factors which contribute to ill health.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Poole on 5 March 2025, to Question 33818.