HC Deb 13 November 2001 vol 374 c672W
18. Mr. Bailey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on improvement of diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients in the NHS. [12122]

Mr. Milburn

Good progress has been made in implementing the NHS Cancer Plan. 92 per cent. of people urgently referred with symptoms indicating a possibility of cancer are being seen within two weeks; around 13,000 patients each year will benefit from new treatments for cancer, following their appraisal by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; and expansion and upgrading of equipment used in the NHS to diagnose and treat cancer is well under way.