Summary
- The following two questions were asked to parliament about additional funding for the delivery plan on ME/CFS and a Centre of Excellence for infection-related chronic conditions.
- The UK government has answered that there are no plans for additional funding for the ME/CFS delivery plan or for establishing a centre of excellence for infection-associated chronic conditions. However, research on ME/CFS and long COVID continues through the NIHR and MRC, with funding available for studies on post-viral conditions. The ME/CFS final delivery plan, focusing on research, education, and patient support, is expected by March 2025.
Jo Platt, Labour MP for Leigh and Atherton Commons asked the following Parliamentary question, which was answered by Ashley Dalton, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care and Labour MP for West Lancashire on 17 February 2025.
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to allocate additional funding towards the Government's myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue delivery plan.
Answer
There are currently no plans to allocate additional funding towards the myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue (ME/CFS) final delivery plan. The ME/CFS final delivery plan continues to be developed.
The plan will focus on improving research, attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this disease. The consultation responses, alongside continued stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, will inform the development of the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish by the end of March 2025.
Jo Platt, Labour MP for Leigh and Atherton Commons asked the following Parliamentary question, which was answered by Ashley Dalton, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care and Labour MP for West Lancashire on 17 February 2025.
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a centre of excellence for care and research for infection-associated chronic conditions.
Answer
We do not anticipate setting up a new centre of excellence for care and research specifically for post-viral or infection-associated conditions. The Department funds research on post-viral conditions through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR and Medical Research Council (MRC) remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of post-viral conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for stimulating further research in this area. The MRC and NIHR currently fund research through a variety of routes, including infrastructure, research programmes, capacity building, for example research fellowships, and in the case of NIHR, research delivery to support recruitment to studies. Funding is available for infection-associated research.