AQW 31536/22-27

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 18/09/2025
Answered On Date: 06/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the level of government-funded cancer research investment allocated to each of the less survivable cancers including; (i) brain; (ii) liver; (iii) lung; (iv) oesophageal; (v) pancreatic; and (vi) stomach, since 2022.

Answer:

The Health and Social Care (HSC) Research & Development (R&D) Division within the Public Health Agency are responsible for the administration of the Department’s budgetary allocation for Research & Development.

At present, HSC R&D do not specifically commission cancer research studies and therefore the level of cancer research investment allocated to specific types of cancer including less survivable cancers is not recorded.

HSC R&D do however invest significantly in clinical research that supports and enables cancer research to take place, with funding provided to cancer research infrastructure including:

Northern Ireland Cancer Trials Network (£5,037,690 investment since 2022)

Belfast Experimental Medicine Centre (£1,095,097 investment since 2022)

Northern Ireland Biobank (£1,613,371 investment since 2022)

A portfolio of ongoing cancer trials, including trials for less survivable cancers, can be viewed at https://cancertrials.hscni.net/portfolio/portfolio-open-trials/.