Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion, tabled in my name, this afternoon. I'd like to put on record my thanks to all Members who supported this debate, and particularly to Angela Burns, who will be closing the debate this afternoon.

Cancer Research UK have identified that one in two people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. Presently, around 19,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Wales. We all know someone who has received a cancer diagnosis. Some will be cancer survivors, but others are sadly no longer with us, having battled cancer with strength and dignity.

Over recent years we have seen meaningful progress in diagnosis, treatment and survival rates, with just over half of people with a cancer diagnosis living for 10 years or more, compared to one in four in 1970. However, Wales persistently lags behind comparable countries for cancer survival.

There is a direct correlation between the chances of survival and the stages of diagnosis across both year 1 and five-year survival rates. Cancer survival decreases when early diagnosis is not available. And that's something we need to remember: cancer survival decreases when we do not have early diagnosis. 

In Wales we have seen one-year survival rates increase, along with five-year survival rates. It is clear that early diagnosis is fundamental. This becomes evermore present when we look at harder-to-diagnose cancers, such as lung cancer or pancreatic cancer. Cancers like these have little to no stage 1 symptoms, or symptoms that are non-specific. It is therefore important that any strategy for cancer treatment must include a strong emphasis on early diagnosis. 

At the end of this year, the Welsh Government's cancer delivery plan, which was published in the fourth Assembly, comes to an end. The World Health Organization recommends that every country should have a cancer strategy, no matter what resource constraints it faces. As the current plan comes to an end, we need to ensure that Wales has a new, fit for purpose in a changing world, comprehensive cancer strategy, which will be in place when this current delivery plan ceases at the end of this year. A new comprehensive cancer strategy that meets patient need and, most importantly, improves patient outcomes.

Many of the cancer charities that I speak to on a regular basis feel that this is an opportunity for the Welsh Government, and for this Senedd, to set a new vision to improve patient outcomes, covering prevention, early diagnosis, access to treatment and cancer research that benefits patients. And they and I believe that the new cancer strategy must be underpinned by increasing diagnostic capacity, for faster diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes.

At this point I want to praise the rapid diagnostic centre in Neath Port Talbot Hospital. It's a great example of how to use diagnostics at an early stage, and it's working well, with patients being referred by GPs upon suspicion of a possible cancerous condition, when a red flag is raised through non-specific symptoms. I visited the centre last week to see the fantastic work the team is actually doing in diagnosing cancers at an early stage. But it does two jobs. Whilst it can diagnose a cancer at an early stage, it can also reassure those who do not have cancer at an early stage as well. And we have seen a reduction for that team from an average wait of 84 days to an average wait of six days. What a dramatic change. And it's a primary-led function.

Now, as the motion states, early diagnosis is key to improving cancer survival rates, and we know that there are certain cancers that are more difficult to diagnose. We've mentioned them already: ovarian and pancreatic are just two examples of those diagnosed at a later stage. For the eight most common cancer types combined, survival is more than three times higher for those that are diagnosed at an early stage, compared to a late stage diagnosis. Diagnosing people at the earliest stage is critical to giving patients the best chance of survival. One of the major factors behind how likely someone is to survive lung cancer, for example, is how early they are diagnosed—