I welcome today's debate. Cancer is something that affects every family in the community. Cancer research is a significant aspect of efforts to improve the lives of many. It goes without saying that cancer is one of our greatest health challenges. It causes immense concern and suffering and, sadly, cuts short far too many lives.

The fact that cancer is wholly indiscriminate and can affect anyone in the population, from the oldest to the youngest, means that it is a particularly cruel and unrelenting disease.

As we stand here today, improvements in cancer outcomes are still unacceptably slow, but, importantly, we also need to consider the huge gains that have been made. Even though record numbers of people are diagnosed each year, huge improvements have been made over recent decades. More and more people survive a cancer diagnosis. We are in an era of constant advances, new drugs and cutting-edge treatments. Every day in Northern Ireland, people beat cancer, but there is much more that we can be do, and that is where the ongoing focus on research and development comes in. There is science and data today that none of us could have imagined in the not-too-distant past, but it needs to be effectively harnessed.

Northern Ireland has long been recognised as a global leader because of its sheer brilliance in cancer research. Thanks to some of the incredible pioneering work undertaken locally, countless lives have been saved in the community. Despite the difficult challenges facing cancer services across Northern Ireland, more types of cancer are being detected, with many others prevented from developing in the first place. Where cancer is confirmed, treatments are increasingly targeted and effective, but, as I have said, there is much more we can do. We need to drive that progress even faster, and I have no problem in saying that every avenue should be pursued, including the all-Ireland cooperation and the east-west cooperation that has been referenced. Indeed, from evidence the House has received, it is my understanding that Northern Ireland is already closely linked with research developments in the United Kingdom, and, because of the difference in population, the United Kingdom is quickly establishing itself as a global leader in cancer research.

Cancer does not recognise borders, and, in our efforts to tackle it, we must not allow the borders to become a barrier. I am glad that, thankfully, in Northern Ireland, there is regular cross-border work and collaboration, not least in the incredible work of the North West Cancer Centre, but there is more to be done, and, working in cooperation with academia, commercial industry and government, we must leave no stone unturned, and that includes cooperation with all our nearest neighbours.