Written questions by Farron.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) the potential cost-effectiveness of expanding access to radiotherapy treatment and (b) other funding relating to radiotherapy cancer treatments.

There have not been any recent discussions relating to the cost-effectiveness and funding of radiotherapy. However, the Government remains committed to supporting the use of radiotherapy as a crucial cancer treatment. We have already invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the National Health Service with new, cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients.Additionally, the Government will also continue to support the NHS to deliver a wide range of cancer treatment services, as we work towards our aim of diagnosing and treating cancer more quickly.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) international approaches to national cancer plans and (b) previous UK cancer plans, in the context of his planned national cancer plan.

As part of development for the National Cancer Plan, the Department has engaged with international counterparts to consider their approaches to national cancer strategies. This includes engagement with Denmark to discuss the lessons learned from their cancer plans.The Department has also considered previous UK cancer plans and submissions to the previous 10 Year Cancer Plan and Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence to inform the development of the upcoming National Cancer Plan.

What steps his Department has taken to deliver 50 new neighbourhood health centres by the end of this Parliament; and whether any will be built in Cumbria.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.That is why over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we are starting in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings.We recently announced the places that will form wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP), after a rigorous assessment of applications against the core criteria. The first wave of the NNHIP covers 43 sites across England, from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the south-west to Sunderland in the north-east, ensuring that communities nationwide benefit from this new model of care.

What steps he has taken to train more GPs in Cumbria.

The Government has committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) and has increased the number of available GP training places by an additional 250 from September 2025. This brings the total number of GP training places to 4,250 per year.As of 31 August 2025, there were 89.8 full-time equivalent GPs in training grades working in practices in Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness.We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, to treat patients on time again.The 2018 to 2020 medical school expansion created new medical schools in regions where doctors were hard to recruit and where inequalities were high, and focussed on where there were medical specialty shortages, which includes GPs and psychiatry.Current and future expansions to post-graduate training, including foundation training and GP specialty training, have been planned on the basis of relative need, balanced with the ability of locations to support trainees.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77309 on Cancer, when the Cancer Operational Taskforce was established; what its remit is; who the members of the Taskforce are; and who it reports to.

The Department does not hold the information requested as the Cancer Operational Taskforce is a local initiative.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve care for cancer patients in all parts of England. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.

What steps he is taking to help reduce travel times for cancer patients in rural areas requiring radiotherapy treatment.

We recognise that for those in rural communities, the particular treatment they need may not be available at their local hospital, which would mean that travel to a specialist centre or specialist centres would be required, in order to receive the best care possible. The Government aims to ensure that each radiotherapy treatment centre is accessible to the highest number of patients possible, as well as being easily reached by the staff who work there.The National Health Service runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital, or other NHS premises, for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.This includes the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, which provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services.

If he will provide additional funding for social care services to help support patients to (a) leave hospitals and (b) be treated at home.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people can leave hospital promptly and receive care in their own homes where appropriate.For 2025/26 approximately £9 billion has been made available through the Better Care Fund (BCF) to enable integrated care boards and local authorities to deliver better joined-up care. One of the objectives of the BCF is to support the shift of services from hospital to home.From 2026/27, the BCF will be reformed to provide consistent joint funding for services that are essential for integrated health and social care, including rehabilitation and recovery support.

Care if he will bring forward proposals for reducing hospital waiting lists in Cumbria.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people across all regions, including Cumbria. Work to reduce waiting lists in Cumbria is already underway, with the National Health Service implementing the Elective Reform Plan to increase capacity and improve patient access as quickly as possible. The region of Cumbria is covered by two integrated care boards (ICBs). The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB is reducing waiting times in the Cumbria region through a dedicated programme on referral and demand management. It is also transforming care pathways to ensure patients receive high-quality treatment in the most appropriate setting, prioritising community and neighbourhood care to reduce hospital pressures. The NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB is also implementing a range of demand management strategies to reduce waiting lists in Cumbria. These include redesigning outpatient pathways with community-based services, virtual clinics, straight-to-test models, and focusing on one-stop clinics. It is also prioritising workforce training to improve referral quality, and meeting regularly with the trust to monitor progress towards meeting the constitutional standard. As of August 2025, 18-week Referral-to-Treatment performance for the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB was 60.7% and for the NHS North East And North Cumbria ICB was 70.2%.

If his Department will allocate funding to ensure that every patient at the Royal Preston Hospital who requires radiotherapy treatment is able to access it.

Decisions about funding for radiotherapy treatment are taken at a local National Health Service level, rather than by the Department, and there are no plans to change this.All cancer patients have access to radiotherapy treatment. Decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals.

Whether he plans to allocate additional funding to radiotherapy treatment in the North West of England.

Decisions about funding for radiotherapy treatment are taken at a local National Health Service level, rather than by the Department, and there are no plans to change this.All cancer patients have access to radiotherapy treatment. Decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the state of repair of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

As part of the management of their estate, National Health Service trusts regularly assess the physical condition of their estate. NHS England’s annual Estates Returns Information Collection collects data from trusts on the quality of their estate annually, including the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition, recorded as backlog maintenance. The latest published data on backlog maintenance, for 2024/25, is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25Hospitals in the New Hospital Programme, including the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, continue to receive support for maintenance and repairs. In addition to operational capital, the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has been provided with £3.3 million from the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund for works at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

What his Department’s budget is for funding the Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary in 2026-27.

The New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation was published on 20 January 2025 and sets out a credible, deliverable plan for the schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). This plan will be delivered through five-year waves of investment and is backed by up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging £3 billion a year from 2030. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome As wave 3 schemes, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital have been paused. No further funding will be available from the NHP until pre-construction activity begins from 2030. The NHP is committed to ensuring both schemes are fully resourced when this time comes. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the NHP and included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January 2025, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

If he will take steps to reduce ward work in portacabins at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

National Health Service trusts make decisions locally on their use of temporary facilities, in line with delivering clinical services.Any temporary facility must meet the same Health Building Notice and Health Technical Memorandum safety, environmental, fire, clinical, and other standards as a permanent healthcare building.

What recent steps he has taken to help reduce NHS waiting times in Cumbria.

Tackling the waiting-list is a top priority for the Government. We have exceeded our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments. More than double that number, 5.2 million more appointments, have now been delivered in England.On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029. This includes a focus on:empowering patients by giving them more choice and control, and by establishing the standards they can expect from National Health Service planned care;reforming delivery by working more productively, consistently, and in many cases differently, to deliver more elective care. This includes a commitment to rolling out additional diagnostic tests and scans through a network of community diagnostic centres (CDCs); andaligning funding, performance oversight, and delivery standards, with clear responsibilities and incentives for reform.Cumbria is covered by two integrated care boards (ICBs). As of August 2025, 18-week referral to treatment performance for the NHS Lancashire And South Cumbria ICB was 60.7%, and was 70.2% for the NHS North East And North Cumbria ICB. As of October 2025, there are now two CDCs in Cumbria, the Workington CDC and the Crossland Day Hospital. These community diagnostic centres will support access to earlier diagnostic tests, benefiting millions of patients.

What steps he has taken to acquire further funding for the rebuilding of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation was published on 20 January 2025 and sets out a credible, deliverable plan for the schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). This plan will be delivered through five-year waves of investment and is backed by up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging £3 billion a year from 2030. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome As wave 3 schemes, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital have been paused. No further funding will be available from the NHP until pre-construction activity begins from 2030. The NHP is committed to ensuring both schemes are fully resourced when this time comes. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the NHP and included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January 2025, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays to rebuilding of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on people in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

The New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation was published on 20 January 2025 and sets out a credible, deliverable plan for the schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). This plan will be delivered through five-year waves of investment and is backed by up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging £3 billion a year from 2030. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome As wave 3 schemes, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital have been paused. No further funding will be available from the NHP until pre-construction activity begins from 2030. The NHP is committed to ensuring both schemes are fully resourced when this time comes. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the NHP and included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January 2025, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

What his plan is to allocate funding for the rebuilding of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation was published on 20 January 2025 and sets out a credible, deliverable plan for the schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). This plan will be delivered through five-year waves of investment and is backed by up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging £3 billion a year from 2030. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome As wave 3 schemes, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital have been paused. No further funding will be available from the NHP until pre-construction activity begins from 2030. The NHP is committed to ensuring both schemes are fully resourced when this time comes. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the NHP and included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January 2025, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

If he will bring forward proposals to rebuild the Royal Lancaster Hospital from 2035-38; and what steps he is taking to prevent further delays to this.

The New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation was published on 20 January 2025 and sets out a credible, deliverable plan for the schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP). This plan will be delivered through five-year waves of investment and is backed by up to £15 billion over each consecutive five-year wave, averaging £3 billion a year from 2030. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome As wave 3 schemes, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital have been paused. No further funding will be available from the NHP until pre-construction activity begins from 2030. The NHP is committed to ensuring both schemes are fully resourced when this time comes. The standard process for confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive. An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the NHP and included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January 2025, and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessment

What estimate he has made of the number of patients who no longer meeting the criteria to reside in hospital in (a) the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, (b) Westmorland General Hospital and (c) Furness General Hospital.

The Department does not hold hospital level data. However, as per the trust level data for the University Hospital Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General Hospital, and Furness General Hospital, in the month of September 2025, the latest month for which data is available, there were on average 145 adult patients, occupying 20.9% of the adult acute beds, each day who had no criteria to reside but who were not discharged by the end of the day. This was 6.1% higher than the average for England, of 14.8%, for September 2025.

What estimate he has made of the number of people who are on NHS waiting lists for radiotherapy in South Cumbria.

We do not routinely publish data on current waiting list levels broken down to the level of specific treatment types, and so we cannot provide an estimate of the number of people who are on National Health Service waiting lists for radiotherapy in South Cumbria.However, the Government is aware that patients in all parts of the country, including South Cumbria, can be waiting too long for their treatment. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster.We have invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the NHS with cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients. These new machines are being rolled out across the country.