HC Deb 28 November 2001 vol 375 cc975-6W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) breast, (b) lung, (c) stomach and (d) prostate cancer sufferers have been helped by allocations from the new opportunities fund since 1999. [15258]

Jacqui Smith

Funding of £93 million from the new opportunities fund was announced in 1999 and has been used to purchase 57 linear accelerators, 36 MRI scanners and over 300 items of equipment for the breast screening programme. A further £23.25 million was made available in 2000 from the new opportunities fund to provide improved palliative care at home.

The equipment and funding for palliative care will provide additional diagnostic and treatment facilities for all cancer sufferers as well as improve cancer care for those at home, but it is not possible to provide detailed figures for patients with specific cancers.