Dr. Michael McCarthy:

I have worked with the NCCP in a variety of roles over the past several years and it seems very clear to me that, in terms of implementing the national cancer strategy fairly across the country, it is critical that the funding is distributed and guided by the NCCP. While the risk of distributing money directly to the regions could work in principle, I think we need a sustained focus on cancer and the cancer strategy if we want to face the challenges we have at the moment in terms of capacity. To have that delivered fairly across the country, there needs to be an independent voice.