Thank you for your answer, Minister, and for your congratulations. Earlier this year, a constituent of mine, a young mother of three, lost her fight against cancer. Before dying, her partner tried desperately in vain to secure a drug for her that may well have prolonged her life. You may have seen recent media coverage of this case. Her application was rejected on the grounds that her case was not deemed to be exceptional enough, despite the patient’s genetic counsellor telling her that she was the only person in Cwm Taf health board’s boundary to be diagnosed with what I hope is pronounced as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which is a rare genetic predisposition to cancer. The patient’s oncologist said that they’ve not seen a patient like her, and doubts that she will again. In a heartbreaking account by her partner that I submitted on his behalf to the independent funding request review, he poses the question: what does it take to be clinically exceptional in Wales?

As well as implementing the recommendations from the IPFR review, will you be taking steps to ensure that people with rare forms of illness, including cancer, get the best possible care?