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 improve early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and whether he is supporting the development of new scanning technologies or screening methods to detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving outcomes for people affected by pancreatic cancer through earlier diagnosis, faster treatment and increased access to innovation. The National Cancer Plan for England identifies earlier diagnosis as a key priority and sets out actions to expand diagnostic capacity, improve access to tests and scans, and reduce the number of cancers diagnosed through emergency presentation.

Non-specific symptom pathways have been achieved across England, providing a route to diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but do not align with a specific tumour type, which is particularly important for pancreatic cancer, where symptoms are often non-specific.

NHS England is supporting earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by providing a route into surveillance programmes for people at inherited high risk, to help identify disease before it develops or at an earlier stage. In addition, NHS England is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests and developing faster referral routes for patients with non-specific symptoms.

The government is supporting the development and evaluation of innovative diagnostic technologies. Through the NHS Cancer Innovation Open Call, the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust was awarded funding to assess the feasibility of Guardant360, a multi-cancer liquid biopsy test, within pancreatic and biliary tract cancer pathways across seven NHS trusts.

The Department invests approximately £1.8 billion each year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending, with £141.6 million invested in 2024/25. For example, NIHR-funded research is exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to improve the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and reduce instances of missed cancer diagnoses.

The UK National Screening Committee keeps evidence for cancer screening programmes under review. Any future decisions on pancreatic cancer screening would be informed by the available evidence on clinical effectiveness and population benefit.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) the UK Forest Risk Commodities Regulations operate on a shared responsibility basis and (b) compliance costs are borne by downstream companies.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is currently considering its approach to addressing the impact of the use of forest risk commodities in our supply chains and will set out its approach in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of corridor care and delayed transfers from emergency departments on patient safety, including the reported 16,000 deaths annually; and what steps his Department is taking to end the use of temporary care environments such as corridors and waiting areas in NHS hospitals.

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

The Government and NHS England are clear that corridor care is not acceptable and should never become standard practice. The figure of 16,000 deaths annually is a reported estimate rather than an official Government statistic. However, the Department recognises the serious risks associated with prolonged waits in emergency care, including delays to assessment, treatment, and admission. That is why reducing overcrowding, improving patient flow, and tackling discharge delays are central priorities for the National Health Service.

NHS England has introduced a clear national definition of corridor care and began daily reporting in March 2026, and this gives real-time visibility of pressures and is enabling targeted support from specialist teams for the most affected hospitals. As of June 2026, we are publishing data on incidence of corridor care, on a monthly basis. In addition, updated guidance published in December 2025 sets out how trusts should maintain safety, dignity, and privacy where temporary care environments are unavoidable, including senior clinical oversight and named nursing responsibility. We are also investing £215.5 million in 40 new and expanded urgent care sites across England, to reduce pressure on accident and emergency departments.

Found: Security Minister, was written in reply to correspondence forwarded by my Member of Parliament, Fleur Anderson