I am delighted to hear that Cancer Research UK is bringing a stand to Conference. This Government is committed to improving cancer outcomes throughout the UK, and is supporting research by protecting the science budget in cash terms through the last Parliament and again this year.
I know that the Government is committed to ensuring that the UK is a world leader in health research and the science budget of £4.7 billion will rise in cash terms every year in this Parliament. I welcome the ambitious plans already set out to invest £6.9 billion in the UK's scientific infrastructure up to 2021. The investment in new capital is on a record scale and will mean new equipment, new laboratories and new research institutes. This long-term plan will be vital to ensuring the science base continues to support the economy and helps meet the grand challenges our country faces - especially in medical research.
We also aim to take this research and translate it into survival. Early diagnosis of cancer is vital to give people the best chance of successful treatment and that is why the Government provided more than £750 million of additional cancer funding in the last Parliament, including £450 million towards early diagnosis.
You may be interested to know that the Government has also invested over £22 million into a series of Be Clear on Cancer campaigns since 2010-11 to raise awareness of cancer. Moreover, I am delighted that the Government's £1 billion Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 72,000 people receive lifesaving drugs.
I am proud that as a result of the measures put in place by this Government and charities such as Cancer Research UK, cancer survival rates are now the best they have ever been and we are on track to save an additional 12,000 lives every year compared to 2010-11.