§ Ms ChurchTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines he has issued to health authorities regarding the funding of taxanes; [118344]
(2) if he will list those health authorities which fund the prescribing of taxanes; [118347]
(3) if he will list the (a) spending on cancer drugs per head of population, (b) spending on cancer drugs as a percentage of total spending on cancer and (c) spending on cancer drugs as a percentage of total drugs expenditure, in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales, (iv) Northern Ireland, (v) other EU countries, (vi) the USA and (vii) Japan, for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [118343]
(4) when he expects to receive the final report from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on taxanes. [118346]
§ Yvette CooperThe most up-to-date guidance currently available to the National Health Service on the use of taxanes is included in "Improving Outcomes in Gynaecological Cancer". The efficiency and effectiveness of taxanes is currently being assessed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The process is still continuing but we expect the guidance to be issued shortly.
Detailed spending information on cancer services, including drugs, is not currently held centrally, and it is not therefore possible to compare data for England with any other country. We do know that spending on cancer in-patient care is estimated to account for 6.3 per cent. (£1.5 billion) of National Health Service hospital expenditure. This figure does not cover spending on cancer services not provided on an in-patient basis including cancer screening, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and community palliative care services.