Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2021 to Question 19569 on Breast Cancer: Screening, what recent assessment he has made of reasons for breast screening coverage in people aged 53 to 71 years old in the Halton local authority area being 55.8 per cent compared to 64.2 per cent for England in 2020-21.

NHS England has advised that comparisons for screening coverage in specific locations with the average in England is challenging. This is due to providers within the National Health Service breast screening programme restoring services at different times and operating different invitation models.

Providers within the Warrington, Halton and St Helens programme are returning to timed invitations across all sites. Commissioners will work with local providers to monitor coverage to ensure that uptake rates return to and subsequently exceed pre-pandemic levels.