Thank you for contacting me about funding for cancer research.
I am proud that the UK is a world leader in cancer research, and I recognise the importance of Government investment in ensuring that we can continue to improve survival and quality of life of cancer patients.
Since 2010, over £882 million in Government funding has been spent on cancer research across the UK. Ground-breaking medical research is funded through the National Institute for Health Research, and spending on cancer research has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £138 million in 2019/20, the largest investment in a disease area.
This funding has supported research that has helped to develop new treatments and increase survival rates over the past decade in the UK.
I know that the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on cancer research, in particular, through reduced access to funding for new projects. Therefore, I welcome the announcement in the Spending Review that £5 billion will be invested in health-related research and development, which is an increase of £1.2 billion on previous commitments.
Thank you to those of you who have written to me about Cancer Research UK’s most recent World Cancer Day Parliamentary Drop-In event. I was unable to attend the event due to my other parliamentary duties, but I can assure you I continue to take a particularly close interest in health matters in Parliament, including improving cancer services and boosting research funding.
Thank you again for taking the time to
