Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department plans to allocate for the development of new drugs to treat brain tumours in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

On 14 May the Government announced £40 million over the next five years for brain tumour research. Funding will be invested through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR focusses on supporting health and care research, and translating discoveries into practical products, treatments, devices and procedures.

We are relying on researchers to submit high-quality research proposals in this very difficult area. To encourage such applications we have released a NIHR Highlight Notice on brain tumour research asking research teams to submit collaborative applications building on recent initiatives and investments. We are also working closely with research funding partners such as Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, and brain tumour charities, who fund research into new scientific discoveries. We stand ready to translate these new discoveries as quickly as possible into new treatments and diagnostics for patients via the NIHR.

The level of research spend in a particular area, such as the development of new drugs to treat brain tumours, will depend on the number and scale of successful funding applications.