Written question asked by Janet Daby (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 August 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 September 2021. It was answered by Edward Argar (Conservative) on Monday, 6 September 2021 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

ME/CFS: Research

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for research into ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Answer: The Government invests in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), through UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR and MRC both welcome high-quality applications for research into all aspects of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), otherwise known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). No assessment has been made of the merits of increasing funding for research into ME/CFS. While it is not usual practice for the NIHR and MRC to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the MRC has had a cross-board highlight notice on CFS/ME open since 2003.

Secondary information