Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial support for medical research into post-viral conditions.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In recent years, the NIHR has made major strategic investments in long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome) and is exploring additional research in these areas. No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of financial support for medical research into post-viral conditions as a whole.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including post-viral conditions. These applications are subject to peer review and judged through open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.