Mrs Sharon Hodgson

I will come back to the hon. Gentleman’s point. I really do have to get through some things and respond to the number of people who spoke about brain cancer research, because nearly all hon. Members mentioned that. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we have directly invested more than £32 million since the general election. My hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley and so many other colleagues mentioned the £40 million commitment for brain cancer research in 2018 and the fact that it had not all been spent. Prior to the general election in 2024, that was the case, but I can confirm that since the general election, the spend from NIHR programmes alone has now been in excess of £40 million since 2018. That £40 million is not a funding ceiling. We will continue to fund research that is recommended by our funding committees and independent peer reviewers. That includes more than £25 million for the NIHR brain tumour research consortium, which brings together 48 organisations across the UK in a national, co-ordinated effort to help deliver better research faster. We are also partnering with Cancer Research UK, providing almost £3 million to co-fund the brain tumour centres of excellence; this collaboration will accelerate the delivery of innovative treatments to patients. We will continue to build on our investments and fund high-quality brain cancer research. As we reaffirmed in the national cancer plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act in full, starting with the appointment of an NIHR national specialty lead for rare cancers this summer. That appointment is under way, and that person, once appointed, will make sure that we are delivering research for patients. Implementing the Act will also make it easier for researchers to connect with patients living with rare cancers, including brain tumours, and streamline recruitment into clinical trials. Our 10-year health plan will make the UK a global leader in clinical research, because we want every patient in the country to have the chance to sign up to a clinical trial should they wish to do so. The hon. Members for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood) and for Esher and Walton (Monica Harding) and my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Steve Yemm) all asked me about clinical trials. We have announced a clinical trials accelerator, Be Part of Research, which allows users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. I turn to brain tissue freezing and to the specific points raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Chris Evans) and so many others. Earlier this month, I met him and other colleagues, as well as Ellie James, the campaigner for Owain’s law. Can I just say how moved I was? My hon. Friend knows that no one can fail to be moved by Ellie’s story. She spoke for many people, not just in Wales but across the United Kingdom, and I have asked the NHS to take action. NHS England has completed a gap analysis of the need for freezer capacity, as my hon. Friend mentioned, and is looking at how to support services to provide an equitable expansion of that capacity. I have also asked the Department and NHS England to work with professional bodies, including the Royal College of Pathologists, to review tissue retention guidance and consent processes, which is what we discussed. We are looking at ways to support trusts to expand freezer capacity, and I will be happy to update colleagues in the autumn. My hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) asked me about workforce. We will be publishing the 10-year workforce plan imminently; it will set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-year health plan. I want to end by saying that I do not see it as my job just to represent the Government to patients and campaigners. It is also my job to be their voice in Government, and I take that role very seriously. For the last 20 years, I have sat where other Members are or where the shadow Minister is, so I completely understand where everyone is coming from. I think I am going to run out of time, but 35 Back Benchers have spoken—