Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to radiotherapy in Copeland constituency.

Access to radiotherapy services for Copeland is a matter for NHS England.

More generally, the Government has made major investments in innovative radiotherapy. The £23 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund has enabled the National Health Service to achieve 37% of radiotherapy treatments being given by Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy, which is more precise and has fewer side effects. This is ahead of the target of 24%, and up from 5% in 2010. NHS England has committed £6 million to support six trials of more precise stereotactic ablative therapy (SABR), and a further £15 million over three years to evaluate and treat patients with SABR. We have also pledged £250 million for two proton beam therapy centres at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will be operational by 2018.