Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research to investigate the long-term effects of treatment on childhood cancer survivors so that they can be supported better later in life.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In 2020/21, the NIHR’s expenditure on cancer research was £73.5 million. The NIHR is currently funding 15 research projects into the treatment of childhood cancer survivors, with committed expenditure of approximately £11.7 million since April 2017.

The NIHR is also supporting the delivery of research funded by partners in the charity and public sectors into the treatment of childhood cancers. Since April 2017, the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported seven related studies. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including childhood cancer. Applications submitted to are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.