Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Government lead to establish a strategic mission for (a) rare and (b) less survivable cancers.

We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so more patients survive, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system

The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. The Government is committed to backing innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that British patients can be among the first to benefit as we make the NHS fit for the future.

Finally, the National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with rare cancers, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.