Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many linear accelerator machines are over (a) 10, (b) 15 and (c) 25 years old by integrated care system.

The number of radiotherapy machines in use which are over the 10-year recommended age is not published by NHS England. The Department also does not hold detailed information about the age of radiotherapy machines, as local systems are responsible for radiotherapy treatment services and since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.

The Government has invested an additional £70 million of central funding into new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These machines are now being rolled out across the country, to help boost radiotherapy productivity and reduce waiting times for cancer patients.