Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent from the public purse on radiotherapy equipment and software in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22; and whether the Government plans to increase that funding in future years.

The total central investment made between 2016 and 2021 was £162 million and enabled the replacement or upgrade of circa 100 radiotherapy treatment machines.

From April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines sits with local systems. This is supported by the 2021 Spending Review, which set aside £12 billion in operational capital for the National Health Service, and the recent Capital Planning Guidance, which states that integrated care systems (ICSs) will need to develop replacement plans as part of their multi-year capital plans, in partnership with specialised commissioners, Cancer Alliances and Radiotherapy Operational Delivery Networks, based on an assessment of equipment age, capacity and demand, opportunities to improve access and service risk.