Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Kirsty McNeill

Wednesday 15th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

4. What steps the Government are taking with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to support cancer research in Scotland.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)]

Tragically, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in Scotland. I want Scots to benefit from the very best research. The National Institute for Health and Care Research works in partnership with the Scottish Government to support and enhance health and social care research across the UK, even though healthcare is devolved. Researchers in Scotland can now apply for funding, which has, for example, allowed the outstanding researchers at the University of Dundee to identify a newer, simpler type of mammogram that can reliably show how breast cancer responds to chemotherapy before surgery.

[Clive Jones]

Cancer Research UK’s manifesto for cancer research and care in Scotland recommends that the Government should increase

“strategic institutional research and innovation funding…investing in and supporting the delivery of a new Scottish Health and Biomedicine Institute (SHBI) to deliver new innovations that will benefit people and the economy in Scotland.”

What is the Minister doing to support that manifesto?

[Kirsty McNeill]

I commend my hon. Friend for his ongoing and dogged advocacy for this cause. As he will know, the UK Government are committed to ensuring a partnership approach between the health services of Scotland and the rest of the UK, and we are focused on ensuring that higher education, and other forms of innovation, are part of our work on cancer.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Kirsty McNeill

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

2. Whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the implementation of cancer strategies.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Kirsty McNeill)]

I commend the hon. Member for the consistent attention he has paid to this issue since he was elected last year and for educating us on it. Cancer remains Scotland’s biggest killer, with Cancer Research UK reporting that Scots are receiving worse cancer treatment than their neighbours in other parts of the UK. The national cancer plan for England will save lives that would otherwise be lost to cancer and deliver improved care and patient experience. Last year, a UK Labour Budget delivered the biggest settlement for Scottish public services in the history of devolution. It is time for the Scottish Government to step up and get serious about cancer.

[Clive Jones]

I thank the Minister for her reply and very kind remarks. As in Wales and England, not a single NHS board in Scotland is meeting the 62-day cancer waiting time standard. That is a legacy of under-investment from the SNP in Scotland, from Labour in Wales, and from the Conservatives in England. To develop change and save lives, we need proper funding for cancer services. How will the Secretary of State for Scotland ensure that his colleagues at the Department of Health and Social Care understand the importance of fully funding cancer strategies to avoid disasters like that devised by the SNP?

[Kirsty McNeill]

I assure the hon. Member that this is a priority for the Government, but as healthcare is a devolved matter, the Scottish Government are responsible for their own cancer strategies, including diagnostic services in Scotland. In England, improving early diagnosis of cancer—including breast cancer—is a priority for the UK Government, who are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including MRI and CT scanners.