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 level of unmet need for radiotherapy among cancer patients in England.

The treatment of cancer normally involves surgery, systemic anti-cancer therapy, and radiotherapy, given individually or in combination, as appropriate to the type and stage of cancer and choices made by patients, in consultation with their doctor. Under this model of care, radiotherapy is available where it has been recommended as a treatment option and where patients have chosen to receive it.

In 2025, NHS England published a report titled Indicators for Radiotherapy Utilisation, which is publicly available. The report offers valuable insights about radiotherapy utilisation and variation and is designed to assist local systems to review broader clinical practice and put in place any improvements, where these are necessary.

Radiotherapy services operate through a collaborative but clearly delineated model, where integrated care boards commission services, providers deliver care in line with national standards, and Radiotherapy Networks and Cancer Alliances support planning and coordination.

The National Cancer Plan, published in February this year, made the commitment to meet all cancer waiting time standards by the end of this Parliament. Improving timely access to radiotherapy services across the country is a key enabler to meeting the 31-day and 62-day treatment standards.

The plan also makes specific commitments to improve the productivity of radiotherapy services, including using artificial intelligence to streamline treatment planning. Furthermore, £70 million of funding has been allocated for state-of-the-art radiotherapy machines, and to streamline approval and incentivise the use of the latest radiotherapy treatments.

Implementation of the plan’s actions, including action 20, will be monitored by the National Cancer Board, with an independent co-chair, reporting to the Department.