§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money from the NHS Cancer Plan has been spent to date on cancer services. [75375]
§ Ms BlearsThe Cancer Plan is being backed by a big increase in funding with an extra £407 million in 2002–03 compared with 2000–01. £76 million of this money was earmarked within national health service budgets for 2002–03 to ensure that investment gets through to the front line to be spent on the priorities for cancer services identified by doctors, nurses and other frontline staff. We are looking very closely at progress this year and Professor Mike Richards is working with chief executives of StHAs to ensure that the money gets through to cancer services and that Cancer Plan targets are met.
§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of(a) prostate, (b) lung, (c) ovarian and (d) leukaemia cancer services was in each year since 1997. [75810]
§ Ms BlearsThe Department does not collect figures on the cost of services provided by the national health service in a way that enables an accurate figure to be calculated for the cost of a particular disease. The cost of cancer care to the NHS has been estimated to be approximately 6 per cent. of hospital expenditure.
The Cancer Plan set out the Government's commitment that an extra £570 million would be made available for cancer services by 2003–04.