To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase participation rates in bowel cancer screening in (a) Waltham Forest, (b) Redbridge, (c) London and (d) England.

Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for screening services, including the promotion of the NHS bowel screening programme. We would expect those areas with low bowel screening uptake rates to develop targeted programmes to tackle this locally. NHS London has advised that both Redbridge and Waltham Forest PCTs are working to address the issue of low uptake among their local eligible populations.

As the screening programme was implemented in local areas, NHS cancer screening programmes sent out an information pack to all local general practitioners (GPs). As well as explaining how the programme works, the packs contained promotional information, including posters for GPs to use to promote the programme in their own practices.

The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, launched in November 2008, is working with NHS cancer screening programmes on key messages and awareness programmes to improve screening uptake, particularly in deprived groups.