To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the (a) gender, (b) age, (c) postcode, (d) ethnicity and (e) sexual orientation of cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Cancer registries hold information on age, gender, postcode and ethnicity. Coverage of age, gender, and postcode is 100 per cent. Coverage of ethnicity is around 75 per cent. The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) has already published a number of reports relevant to inequalities, including those on ethnicity, gender, age and deprivation.

The NCIN will continue to work with cancer services to support improved recording of ethnicity. No data are currently held on sexual orientation. However, the NCIN will continue to collect and analyse data which will further develop the evidence base on equality issues.

The National Cancer Equality Initiative report on "Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen" was published on 19 March. Annex 1 of the report includes a summary of the evidence base on inequalities in cancer in England according to deprivation, age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and religion.

The report is available on the Department's website at:

www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_114353

A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.