I thank the Member for the question. This is an issue where there is genuine concern across the Chamber and within and outside political parties. Actually, the achievement in cancer services is a marker of the success we’ve had within the NHS but also of the unmet challenge that still exists. I’m pleased that you noted there’s been a significant move forward in one-year and five-year survivorship within Wales. We’re statistically in the same place as the other four nations in the UK. We also see more people being referred and more people treated, and treated within time. And that’s on the back of a 40 per cent increase in referrals in the last four years.

But the unavoidable truth is that, within the United Kingdom, all four nations are still at the bottom end of the outcomes league table with other European nations. There’s much more for us to do. Now, I don’t accept everything the Breast Cancer Now survey says, but, when it comes to the need to try and do something about screening—because, unfortunately, the screening results on breast cancer have gone down; we’re not having the same numbers of women come through—there’s a challenge for us about making sure that the message is clearly understood that early screening will help to save lives. Also about the challenges in our diagnostic capacity as well—and that is absolutely part of what we are looking to do, not just with the immediate performance moneys in this year but on a longer term and sustainable basis. And I certainly do closely monitor performance.

Referral-to-treatment and cancer are issues that every chair expects to have to discuss with me and, indeed, when services go backwards then there is extra attention provided. A good example of this has been Cardiff and Vale health board. Not that long ago, against the 62-day target, there were figures in the 70 per cents—wholly unacceptable. They’ve resolved and looked at those issues and they’re now in a much better place in over 90 per cent. The challenge for the rest of Wales is how to have the same level of understanding of their challenges and then achievement and to do that on a sustainable basis in the face of ever-increasing demand.