Thank you. Sorry, I’ve never done it before. Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. We have tabled the motion before you today to mark Lung Cancer Awareness Month and to recognise that, although progress has been made, lung cancer survival rates in Wales remain amongst the worst in Europe. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer worldwide. Every year, more than 1.5 million people die from lung cancer. In the UK, one person dies every 15 minutes, and by the time this debate is over, lung cancer will have claimed another four lives.

Here in Wales, lung cancer claims the lives of around 2,000 people every year, accounting for a quarter of all cancer deaths. Thankfully, advances in diagnostics and cancer treatments mean that a diagnosis of lung cancer is no longer an automatic death sentence. More and more people are surviving, but, unfortunately, not enough are.

The UK Lung Cancer Coalition recently launched a campaign, 25 by 25, which seeks to raise the five-year lung cancer survival rates in the UK to 25 per cent by 2025. The campaign has the backing of Macmillan Cancer Support, who are founding members, and is fully supported by the UKIP Assembly group.

Our five-year survival rates are amongst the poorest in Europe. In fact, in the latest Europe-wide comparison study, Wales ranked twenty-eighth out of 29. Only 6.6 per cent of Welsh lung cancer patients are still alive five years after diagnosis, compared with 16 per cent in England. The Welsh Government have made improvements and investment in cancer care in Wales. Overall cancer survival rates have improved, and there has been an increase in one-year survival rates for lung cancer, but five-year lung cancer survival rates still lag behind other UK nations and our European counterparts.

We simply aren’t diagnosing lung cancer early enough. In Wales, only 12 per cent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed during the early stages of the disease. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed during stage 3 or stage 4, which significantly reduces their long-term chances of survival. The UK Lung Cancer Coalition recently undertook a survey, and found that access to investigative tests and referral are still the greatest delays to rapid diagnosis, with 36 per cent of patients surveyed waiting over one month for a definitive diagnosis after an initial suspicion of cancer, and 17 per cent waiting over two months. We welcome the Welsh Government’s commitment to improving access to diagnostic tests, but we must do more.

Cancer Research UK undertook a study of cancer services in Wales, and they found that issues with diagnostic capacity are delaying some patients receiving a definitive diagnosis, and therefore starting treatment. They also found that there is variation in GPs’ direct access to diagnostic tests. According to Cancer Research UK, further investigation is needed to understand the workforce and equipment capacity needed to meet demand. The rise in cancer incidence, as well as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s decision to lower the threshold of referral for suspected cancer, will increase demand for diagnostic tests in the coming years.

Cancer Research UK recommended that the Welsh Government conduct an urgent review of the state of direct access to diagnostic tests for GPs. However, one of the biggest barriers to improving lung cancer survival rates remains a lack of awareness amongst patients. In a recent survey of lung cancer patients, only 27 per cent of patients saw their doctor because they recognised that they were experiencing signs and symptoms of lung cancer. Over 40 per cent of patients did not know that chest pain, weight loss and tiredness are possible symptoms of lung cancer. This is why debates such as the one we are having today and events like Lung Cancer Awareness Month are so vital. We must do all we can to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer among patients.

This summer, for the first time, the Welsh NHS ran a lung cancer awareness campaign. The Welsh Government are to be congratulated for taking this step. I hope the Cabinet Secretary will commit to running this campaign annually. England have been running the campaign since 2010 and have been successful in raising awareness and increasing the numbers of patients diagnosed at stage 1. Perhaps this is why England has been so successful in increasing its five-year annual survival rate, which has almost doubled since 2004 to just over 16 per cent.

Improving early diagnosis is just one of things we have to get better at here in Wales. We also have to ensure that, once diagnosed, patients get the best level of care possible. The recent Wales cancer patient experience survey showed that people with lung cancer had poorer experiences than people with other kinds of cancer. One in 10 Welsh patients do not have access to a clinical nurse specialist. Macmillan Wales have called for better support when people are diagnosed and awaiting treatment for lung cancer. They have also asked that we ensure that everyone who is diagnosed has their needs assessed and addressed in a written care plan, as outlined in the current cancer plan.

The UK Lung Cancer Coalition report makes a number of recommendations for the Welsh Government. These include conducting a public consultation on the current national cancer standards for Wales, which should then be updated based on the recommendations provided; reviewing cancer diagnostic services in Wales with a focus on lung cancer; ensuring all patients have access to a lung cancer clinical trial nurse in all aspects of their care; and working with other bodies to address and assess local variations in lung cancer treatment. I hope the Cabinet Secretary will take these recommendations forward. Even if we achieve 25 by 25, we will still have the majority of lung cancer patients dying from the disease and we must ensure that those patients who do not survive die with dignity. It is a sad fact that only 46 per cent of those who died from cancer received specialist palliative care.

A recent Marie Curie survey found that seven out of 10 people with a terminal illness do not get the care and support they need. If current trends continue, 7 per cent of the Welsh population will be living with cancer by 2030 and the number of people dying in Wales will increase by 9 per cent. We know that around 6,200 people who die each year don’t get the palliative care they need, but these figures come from Marie Curie—they are not coming from the NHS and therefore don’t feed into workforce planning.

In England, the NHS conducts a survey of the bereaved, called ‘VOICES’, which shows the level of care and support given to families at the end of the lives of their loved ones. We don’t conduct this survey in Wales. If we are going to ensure that everyone who needs specialist palliative care gets it and we are going to ensure that people’s individual needs, priorities and preferences for end-of-life care can be identified, documented, reviewed, respected and acted upon, then we must conduct a survey of the bereaved here in Wales.

Finally, I would like to address the amendments. We will be supporting both of the Welsh Conservatives’ amendments. It is regrettable that there has been a stark increase in the number of women with lung cancer. Incidence rates in men are now a third higher than women, compared with double 10 years previously. However, I urge you to reject the amendments from Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government. We are not criticising the Welsh Government or the lack of investment. Yes, progress has been made, particularly on one-year survival rates, however there is a lot, much more, for us to do. The main reason for holding this debate today is to raise awareness of the issues and to work together to improve lung cancer survival rates.

Wales should not be in twenty-eighth place; we should be leading the way. We have a wonderful health service with hugely dedicated staff; let’s give them the tools to improve cancer care. Let us ensure that everyone with lung cancer gets an early diagnosis with appropriate treatment. Let us also ensure that everyone who needs it has access to specialist palliative care and ensure that everyone can die with dignity should the time come. I urge you to support our motion. Diolch yn fawr.