§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women have been screened for breast cancer at the Royal Marsden hospital in each of the past five years; and how many operations have subsequently taken place to arrest the disease.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke:The numbers of women who have been screened for breast cancer at the Royal Marsden hospital in each of the last five years are as follows:
New Patients Total attendances Number found to have cancer 1977 910 5,883 18 1978 1,312 6,322 33 1979 1,267 7,433 35 1980 1,060 7,452 49 1981 1,155 7,770 37 1982 1,025 *6,176 - * to September.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current cost of running the cancer screening unit at the Royal Marsden hospital; and if he will ensure that sufficient funds are made available for the work of the unit to continue.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke:The revenue cost of running the cancer screening unit at the Royal Marsden hospital in the current financial year is £155,000.
The board of governors of the Royal Marsden hospital is responsible for determining service priorities for expenditure within its allocation, which has not been cut. I have, however, asked the authority for a report on the proposal to close this unit.