Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of breast cancer screening in (a) Luton South constituency, (b) Luton Borough Council area and (c) Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes clinical commissioning group.

In Luton, an additional 251 breast screening appointments are being provided in July 2022, with further appointments on Saturdays continuing in August where possible. In the next three months, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Breast Screening Service will revert from open to timed invitations to increase uptake. In West Hertfordshire, a trial has been introduced to re-invite women who did not attend or book an appointment during the pandemic. Following evaluation of this trial, a decision will be made to determine whether to deploy this approach in the region. In addition, four new screening vans with access lifts are being introduced to encourage uptake in women with mobility issues.