Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Closing the Gap: A roadmap for equitable access to genomic testing and precision medical trials for all patients with a brain tumour in the UK published by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission in September 2024.

As part of the National Cancer Plan, officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders, including brain cancer clinical experts and charities, as well as receiving this report. The Department received over 11,000 responses to the Call for Evidence, which have been analysed to support the development the plan.

On 24 October 2025, NHS England published the Medium-Term Planning Framework – delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/29. This sets out that all National Health Service providers must support embedding research as part of everyday care, meet the site-specific timeframes of the Government’s 150-day clinical trial set-up target, and for research activity and income to be reported to boards on a six-monthly basis.

We are also embedding genomic testing as routine practice within the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and its workforce. This includes seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs delivering comprehensive genomic testing and analysis, such as whole genome sequencing, as part of routine care. The Genomics Education Programme is responsible for upskilling the entire multi-professional, multi-specialty NHS workforce in genomics.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.