As part of ME Awareness Week, from the 6th to 12th May 2012, the Cross-Party Group on ME at the Scottish Parliament hosted a reception attended by MSPs, ME charities and groups, and their guests.
The aim of parliamentary Cross-Party Groups is provide an opportunity for members of all parties, outside organisations and the public to meet and discuss a shared interest in a particular cause or subject, and a Cross-Party Group on ME has been in existence since 2001. In the past 11 years, the Cross-Party Group has campaigned successfully for a Short Life Action Group on ME/CFS, the report of which was published in 2002 (available here in pdf format), and it has facilitated the creation of key clinical documents, such as the Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS (2010), and the ScotPHN Health Care Needs Assessment of Services for people living with ME/CFS (2010).
The reception in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood was opened by Mary Fee MSP, Convener of the Cross-Party Group, who welcomed everyone and described the principal aims of the group, namely, to help MSPs address and represent the needs of ME patients to the Scottish Parliament and Government, and to provide MSPs with sources of information and expertise. Mary then introduced four key speakers, each of whom gave short presentations on areas of special concern in ME/CFS.
To read the full ME Research UK report of the parliamentary reception, please click HERE.