It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. I declare an interest as a cancer nurse at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. I congratulate the hon. Member for Easington on securing this debate and raising radiotherapy's importance. During the pandemic, cancer remained a priority; however, patients were reluctant to come forward with symptoms during the first lockdown, leading to a backlog of over 10,000 daily referrals since then. While there are pressures on treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, the greatest pressure is in diagnostics. I caution Members about interpreting radiotherapy access data as it can be misleading due to its nature as an adjuvant treatment. Radiotherapy requires clinical decisions based on patient conditions and cannot always replace surgery or chemotherapy. Cancer alliances map out local services, and satellite units may not always be feasible given the specialist equipment and staff required. Elective recovery programmes have committed £2 billion this year and £8 billion over three years to tackle backlogs. There are significant improvements in radiotherapy techniques, such as stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy and proton beam therapy. The NHS is investing in state-of-the-art technology like ProKnow for virtual collaboration among clinicians. Health Education England prioritises training for cancer specialists and radiographers to enhance the workforce's skills. While staff numbers have grown by 3,342 full-time equivalents between 2016-17 and 2019-20, addressing skill mix is crucial. I am committed to investing in radiotherapy equipment, staff training, and innovation to ensure it remains a fundamental part of cancer treatment.