To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the first annual report on progress towards objectives contained in the Cancer Reform Strategy. (224576)

The National Cancer Director’s first annual report on the Cancer Reform Strategy will be published by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he has implemented for monitoring progress towards NHS waiting time standards outlined in the Cancer Reform Strategy. (224577)

Performance against the current national health service cancer waiting times standards is monitored by NHS trust and is published on a quarterly basis by the Department of Health at:

http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/index.htm

We will continue to publish performance data by NHS trust on a quarterly basis as the extended waiting time standards set out the Cancer Reform Strategy are introduced from the end of December 2008. Local progress is monitored by commissioners of the service.