Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Lynne Neagle and Members from all parties who have supported today's debate in raising what is an important and poorly understood issue by the wider public. Now, I recognise the devastating impact that pancreatic cancer can have on people and their families, especially so given its poor diagnosis. For anyone in any doubt, in particular in hearing the opening of this debate, and indeed the contribution from Delyth Jewell, they should be left in no doubt about how aggressive a form of cancer this is.

The motion recognises that one-year net survival rates for pancreatic cancer were around 28 per cent between 2012 and 2016, when the most recent data was available, making it a cancer with one of the worst survival rates. We've seen around 520 new cases, and sadly, around 480 deaths a year. One-year net survival for stage 1 pancreatic cancer is higher than 60 per cent based on the data for 2011-14, so whilst time-to-treatment is a factor, a key issue appears to be that pancreatic cancer tends to present in a much more advanced stage when treatment options are more limited. Now, the Government will be abstaining, but I'm largely supportive of the motion. I'd like to offer a couple of corrections about the record, and of course all Members will have a free vote, outside the Government, on the motion itself.

According to our statistics from 2015, we saw 531 new cases of pancreatic cancer. It's also really important to recognise that outcomes have improved over the past 20 years for pancreatic cancer, and particularly so in the past decade. One-year net survival has improved by over 7 percentage points and five-year survival by over 4 percentage points between 2007-11 and 2012-16. So, there are real improvements that have been made by our NHS. However, the basic point that Lynne and others make in moving this debate is correct: this is a cancer with very poor outcomes, and there is a real need to make progress.

Surgery is a curative option for a range of cancers. I was pleased to hear Lynne mention this in her opening contribution, because regularly, when we talk about cancer services, we have a debate around drugs, when actually, surgery is much more likely, in most cases, to be the curative option. It's part of the reason why there's a focus on improving surgery rates across a range of cancers, and that, of course, includes pancreatic cancer. That goes back to having earlier diagnosis so that curative surgery is a real option.

On the proposal about having a specific centre, I've listened and I will ask the clinicians at the Wales Cancer Network to consider that further, to give me advice to go into our cancer delivery plan for Wales and the work of the implementation group to understand what that would mean and the benefit that could provide for people in Wales.

But I do want to also recognise the work that Pancreatic Cancer UK does in raising awareness of the impact of pancreatic cancer, and, of course, they get to take part as a member of our Wales Cancer Alliance. I meet that third sector campaigning alliance on a six-monthly basis, and they are represented on our national leadership group for cancer services. The motion called for us to learn from fast-track surgical models in other countries and I'm happy to commit to that and to see what lessons there are for Wales. It's work that we regularly do in looking at other parts of the world, including, of course, other parts of the UK. It also calls for us to learn from the rapid diagnostic centre pilots in two of our own health boards, and I can certainly commit to doing that. That's funded through the cancer delivery plan for Wales, and I look forward to the evaluation that is being provided and discussed by the network.

Finally, it calls, of course, for holistic support for patients to prepare them for surgery. I've made it clear on several occasions that I expect health boards to be doing this as a routine part of surgical pathways, and that is absolutely part of the improvement work that we need to do to make the best use of the surgical skills of our staff, but, importantly, to improve outcomes. So, we're committed to doing all that we can to build on the progress made. Our approach has been to focus on improving services and outcomes for all cancers rather than to focus on those with the poorest outcomes. We think it's important on the point of equity, but also because many of the things it will improve in the outcomes for pancreatic cancer are applicable to improving outcomes for most cancers too. Our medium-term approach is set out in the cancer delivery plan, taken forward by the implementation group, and supported by more than £5 million of annual investment.

One of the key focuses has been on detecting more cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage. That's underpinned by new referral guidance and a national programme working together with primary care and the piloting of the two rapid diagnostic centres for people with vague symptoms. It also includes the optimisation of screening programmes, an important ally of work in our diagnostic programme to provide streamlines access to investigations for cancer. The aim of all of this is to ensure that people are investigated promptly, and in the small minority of people who do have cancer, that their diagnosis is made quickly.

A key area of focus for us is the introduction of the single cancer pathway. That is much more than just a new way of measuring cancer waiting times. This is a UK first, and it means that patients will no longer be artificially divided into those who present in primary or secondary care. They'll all be measured against the same pathway, and most importantly, from the point of suspicion, rather than the receipt of referral or the decision to treat. As well as being a clearer way of measuring waits, it means that people's investigation and treatments have to start earlier to meet the 62-day time limit. Within 62 days, clinicians can treat patients according to their clinical priority. I know that Pancreatic Cancer UK have called for a 20-day treatment target from diagnosis, but the 62-day single cancer pathway includes a diagnostic phase and the start of treatment.

In order to support health boards to deliver the single cancer pathway and to reduce variations across Wales, and to deliver care in line with the best professional standards, we are also introducing nationally optimised tumour site pathways. These are descriptions for each tumour site to set out how health boards should plan to deliver their services. The first of three tranches of these pathways was published through a Welsh health circular in October this year, and I expect pancreatic cancer to be included in the next tranche early in the new year. These pathways are highly ambitious, and health boards will work towards them over time, supported by the national peer review programme for cancer.

Further developments, such as the cancer research strategy and the replacement of the cancer informatics system will also play a role in helping us to deliver the improved outcomes and excellent services that every Member who has spoken and listened to this debate today will want to see. Once again, I want to thank Members for bringing forward this debate, and I hope and expect we can continue to make real progress in the years ahead.