To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on proton therapy facilities at Clatterbridge Hospital.[131230]

The Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO) currently has access to the Douglas Cyclotron Facility, which produces protons of 62MeV. This particular piece of equipment was developed by the Medical Research Council in 1984 to undertake studies into neutron therapy but was later modified in association with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund to provide proton therapy of eye tumours.The CCO became responsible for this facility in 1991. It provides ocular oncology services in association with four national referring centres, the main one of which is the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, in addition to centres in London, Glasgow and Sheffield.