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 regional differences in access to treatment for cholangiocarcinoma patients.

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

The Department is committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and improving access to treatment across England, including for cholangiocarcinoma patients. We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.

We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment. Furthermore, it will ensure all patients, including cholangiocarcinoma patients, have access to the latest treatments and technology. These actions will help bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure more cancer patients have the opportunity to take part in CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials.

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

The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials examining CAR T-cell therapy.

The NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between world-leading universities and National Health Service organisations, which take cutting-edge cancer research from the laboratory and rapidly translate it into clinical trials in a hospital setting. The University College London Hospitals BRC is revolutionising cancer care with the next-generation of CAR-T cell therapies for patients that deliver powerful remissions with fewer side effects, particularly in the treatment of leukaemia and other solid tumours.

The NIHR also provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which month the findings of the Migration Advisory Committee's review on financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules will be published.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Migration Advisory Committee were commissioned to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules in September and the review is expected to take approximately 9 months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the suitability of councils to enforce planning infringements made by their own authority.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is for local planning authorities to ensure they have appropriate systems in place to deal with investigating alleged breaches of planning control by other parts of their local authority.

Each local authority has their own code of conduct to ensure they act openly and impartially and in accordance with the rules and regulations at all times.

Found: Antonia Bance (Labour; Tipton and Wednesbury) John Cooper (Conservative; Dumfries and Galloway) Sarah Edwards

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard; Gregor Poynton

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard; Gregor Poynton

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard; Gregor Poynton

Found: John Cooper (Conservative, Dumfries and Galloway) (added 21 Oct 2024) 15 of 16 (93.75%) Sarah Edwards

Found: Antonia Bance (Labour; Tipton and Wednesbury) John Cooper (Conservative; Dumfries and Galloway) Sarah Edwards

Found: Sarah Edwards and John Cooper made representations.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Sonia

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Antonia Bance; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Sonia

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Charlie Maynard;

Found: Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards

Found: Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards

Found: Gordon Dr Al Pinkerton Susan Murray Clive Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards