Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he authorised the recent increase in the Cancer Drug Fund annual budget; and whether (a) the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group and the Direct Commissioned Service Committee and (b) the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group were consulted before that decision was taken.
My Rt hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, agreed that the size of the Cancer Drugs Fund would be increased to £280 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16.
We are advised by NHS England that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, the Direct Commissioned Service Committee and the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group were not specifically consulted before this decision was taken.