National Cancer Plan

Peter Swallow Excerpts

Thursday 5th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ashley Dalton]

Yes, I can confirm that, but it is not always about throwing extra money at things. It is about using the resources that we have in a better, more targeted way to be more impactful. I have worked with Cancer Research UK from day one of developing this plan and it has run right the way through it. We continue to work with the organisation as we move forward to make the plan a reality.

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

This week marks 17 years since my mum died of lung cancer. She was just 58, and I was just 15. Last week, when I visited a local lung cancer screening service in Bracknell and heard how it is using AI to speed up diagnosis, it was personal. Can the Minister say a bit more about what we are doing to roll out schemes such as that to make sure that more families like mine do not have to suffer the loss of a loved one to this terrible disease?

[Ashley Dalton]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Lung cancer has impacted on my family as well. Yes, we will be rolling out lung cancer screening nationwide by 2030, because we know that it has a huge impact on outcomes. I have seen how amazing the AI tools are at identifying discrepancies in lung CT scans. I found out that I had an untapped talent, as I was quite good at identifying those discrepancies as well. AI means that we can catch lung cancers sooner. They are often not caught until they are at stage 3 or 4. Using AI means that we can get them at stage 1 or 2, we can treat people early and we can save lives.