Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of expanding successful regional cancer screening initiatives to the rest of England.

Regional pilots such as the Targeted Lung Health Check can be used to build an evidence base and inform decisions regarding screening. However, the Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is an independent scientific advisory committee and makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.

Regional screening initiatives would only be rolled out nationally when they followed a UK NSC recommendation based on scientific evidence that showed the programme would do more good than harm at reasonable cost.