Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of reactor-produced radioisotopes used for treatment of cancer in the UK are provided from (1) the European Union, (2) Australia, (3) Argentina, and (4) the rest of the world.

Medical radioisotopes can be produced in different ways and the cyclotrons used in the United Kingdom produce a small supply of medical radioisotopes, mainly for diagnostic use. This is because the cyclotrons used in the UK supply relatively low-level radioactive material which is best suited for imaging and diagnosis. For therapeutics, particle emitting radioisotopes tend to be used. For UK use, these are mainly manufactured in research reactors, and there are currently no reactors in the UK that manufacture these isotopes. Research reactors can also supply medical radioisotopes for imaging and diagnosis.

Medical radioisotopes are purchased from suppliers on trust and hospital levels, and the Department has not made a systematic review of the origin country for these products.