Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the APPG on Brain Tumours' recent report entitled Pathway to a Cure – Breaking down the Barriers, published in February 2023, what steps his Department is taking to encourage pharmaceutical companies to pursue the development of brain cancer drugs in the UK.

The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report and will consider the detailed recommendations, which will be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council, and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The Government recognises that the life sciences sector is one of our most important industries, helping to grow the economy, establish the United Kingdom as a science and technology superpower, and drive innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. The Government’s Life Sciences Vision sets out our plan to support the life sciences industry. This includes work to harness the National Health Service’s unique health data and genomic research assets to drive advances in life science research and innovation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain tumours. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications.